Over the Years
by RosyBows
Summary: The concepts of "parenting" and "being a mother" were entirely foreign to Queen Aurora, who never really experienced it while growing up. Luckily, she has her only daughter, Elsa, to help her fix that as the years pass. This story is heavily influenced by headcanons.
1. Chapter 1

She never really understood the feverance and euphoria that the other Queens seemed to experience when speaking of their children. Then again, Queen Aurora didn't understand the point of children in general. Of course, she understood the practical use of them as an heir to the throne but other than that, she didn't understand why anyone wanted to willingly have one outside of that.

She felt bewildered when Queen Blaise spoke of her five sons with a brilliant smile on her face despite the fact that a majority of her stories were about the disasters her eldest son, Wohl, led his small pack of brothers into. Queen Cascade often bragged every few minutes about the vast intelligence and maturity that her daughter, Yamul, had which was promptly challenged by Queen Ivy and the tales of her own thirteen children. Queen Talia and Queen Emmaline often gushed together over their oldest sons, Randa and Aaron, respectively while also including random stories of their other children that Aurora had long since lost track of. The only one who didn't say anything was Crescent, the one King to sit among the Queens, who happened to be expecting his first child in less than a few months; he had been insistent on listening to the experiences of others to train himself for his future while his wife remained in bed.

There was such an abundance of stories that the other Queens pulled together that Aurora wasn't even sure whose child belonged to who at this point; to her, all children sounded like the same person. Well, not really people in her opinion. More like… creatures. Filthy little creatures who never knew how to take care of themselves or who caused horrifying messes, and were so needy all the time. They were disease carriers, disgusting little germ sacks who didn't understand what it meant to be clean, neat, and graceful. Overall, they disgusted Aurora and she had made it clear to the other Queens that she had no aspirations to ever have a child, even in the case of needing an heir.

They often laughed when she said it, never taking her seriously even though Aurora never made jokes(or, any jokes that others found humorous). They talked about how it would have to happen eventually, how Aurora couldn't avoid it forever, but Aurora didn't believe them. So long as she took the necessary precautions, she would never have to worry about one of these horrifying little monsters entering her life.

* * *

"Where has the pain been most prominent, Your Highness?" The doctor asked as she shifted closer to Aurora, who was sitting down and biting her lip to keep from wincing.

"Primarily… this area." Aurora began as she motioned to her abdomen; the doctor placed her hands on Aurora and tried to find the source of the pain."It's been like this for a few weeks. William said not to take anything and to have it checked by you but I thought it was a waste of time…" Aurora had refused to go to the doctor on the basis that she had other important things to do but her husband was persistent on her at least getting a check up."Can we please just hurry up with this? I have a few meetings scheduled this afternoon and I don't want this cutting into my day."

"I would assume your physical health is much more important than work, Your Highness…" the doctor mumbled as she continued checking Aurora, who acted like she hadn't heard a thing. It's not like it was something new; William often got upset with her if she tried to deny seeing a doctor when she was under the weather. At this point, Aurora had trained herself to ignore his speech whenever she refused so it meant nothing coming from someone else.

"Just hurry up and tell me I need a certain tea or something." Aurora had already pinned her pain on frivolous things, such as sleeping the wrong way or having poor posture-she didn't sleep or sit in any other way but the ladylike version but it was still possible-and that it could be resolved with a simple cup of tea or a painkiller. The doctor didn't pause in checking her however which just continued to augment Aurora's annoyance. Just as she was about to demand that she stop and let her leave, the doctor stopped moving and instead seemed to be thinking."What would you recommend Doctor? So I can leave already." Aurora was already beginning to feel concerned as to making it on time for her meetings even though she had plenty of time before the first one even began.

"Honestly," The doctor began as she stepped away from Aurora; she didn't know why but she figured there was a good reason." What I recommend now is that you go back to your bedroom and rest, Your Highness." Aurora scoffed at that suggestion with an eye roll to signify her disbelief.

"I have too much work to do to just go sit in bed."

"But Your Highness… the King conveyed to me prior to us meeting that you have been feeling this pain for a few weeks now."

"Yes, and? William always overreacts. I could sniffle and he'd think I'm coming down with something."

"And that some additional symptoms have accompanied it?"

"A few here and there but nothing I can't handle."

"Such as tenderness in your breasts?"

"Any woman can feel that. And considering I'm on my feet or doing work nearly all day, I have a lot attributing to that."

"Increased fatigue and tiredness?"

"You clearly do not understand how much work is expected of someone in my position. Who _wouldn't_ be tired?" The doctor sighed, their own frustration slowly increasing with every one of Aurora's statements or rebuttals."What I'm getting from this check up is that this was a waste of my time." Aurora stood up from her seat, instantly heading towards the door."I have better things to do now."

"Your Highness." The doctor stated although this time her tone was much more serious than it had been the whole meeting. Aurora groaned but she managed to do it quietly before turning around.

"Yes?"

"The king has informed me that you are late."

"Yes, yes I am. Late for my _meetings_. Late to complete my _work_." Aurora once again turned to leave but the doctor had reached her limit and grasped Aurora's arm before she could go."Unhand me! I have work to do!"

"I apologize for stepping out of line a bit but Your Highness, you cannot possibly be this obsessed with work or so dense as to not realize what I am trying to convey!"

"Do explain to me then what I am not understanding!" Aurora hissed as she glared towards the doctor, who pressed her lips together into a thin line before narrowing her eyes in return.

"Fine then, Your Highness. Perhaps the word 'pregnancy' is something you have heard of?"

* * *

William was often known for his happy-go-lucky attitude. It was said that nothing could take away his smile and many of the Kings and Queens who have met him would say the same thing. That is, until everyone changes the topic to William and Aurora's marriage.

To those who have seen their relationship, they would describe Aurora as a handful. She never went along with William's general mood and was often the one who ruined the fun at parties, mainly just by showing up. She was a complete opposite to William's lively nature and many questioned why he had even married her in the first place. Had he been forced into it by the previous members of the royal family? Had he been tricked? Did they promise him some grand reward? Of course, no one would ever say these things in front of Aurora, as they were partially frightened of her, but William often heard these questions and rumors and tried his best to deflect them, explaining that he married Aurora out of love.

Although sometimes he questioned himself on that front, such as when he entered the palace after finishing up at a meeting; normally, Aurora would have attended but William had insisted that she see the doctor instead and that he would handle it. He had just walked into the palace when he heard a string of angry words combined with a mixture of frustrated yells and noises; the sounds were echoing throughout the halls but William still knew the source of it. He hurried towards the medical wing of the palace and opened the door. He didn't even have time to ask what happened when Aurora whipped around to face him, her anger expressed vividly on her face.

"This is _your_ fault!" She screamed at him before rushing over to him as though she was about to claw at his face. William barely had a chance to step back and avoid it but Aurora's momentum still threw her forward and she knocked William down to the floor by accident; upon realizing she had landed on him, she proceeded to repeatedly beat his chest with her fists, continuing to shout that it was his fault. William hadn't even been in the same room as her for a minute and yet Aurora was already mad at him.

"W-What did I do?" He stuttered out, more confused than in pain; Aurora's punches barely hurt but that didn't mean he didn't feel a little pain emotionally that she was trying to attack him."I just got here!"

"You…! You did this!" She shouted at him with her eyes narrowed."You put this… this thing in me!" William was still bewildered but he slowly began to decipher what Aurora was trying to say."You promised that we wouldn't have any! You lied! You tricked me!" Her hits slowly decreased in speed and power until eventually, Aurora was barely touching him and instead she had evolved into a frustrated mess of tears.

She shifted off of him and buried her face in her hands, shaking slightly throughout; William sat up and he wrapped his arms around her, in an attempt to comfort her. Aurora rarely cried for anything so for her to break down now was pretty serious to him."I don't _want_ one. I don't want it, William, I don't want it. Please, take it out. Please, I don't want it." She continued to repeat this as she gave him a begging look, desperate for him to do something; but even if William had the power to take out what would soon grow to be his child from her womb, he wouldn't do it.

Instead, he gave her a gentle smile and pulled her closer."I'm sorry darling. I don't know how this happened," That was a complete lie of course as William had practically done everything besides sell his soul to the devil to have this happen."But it'll be fine. I swear on it." Aurora continued to sob in his arms with William at the very least attempting to calm her. He paused for a moment however and showed off his genuine smile to the doctor who recognized that look and realized that William had intended for this to happen, or was at least happy that it had.

"When do you think she'll be due?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Stop kicking, you… you…!"

"Aurora!" She jumped at hearing her name before looking down with a frustrated expression; of course, Aurora couldn't see over the baby bump that had grown over the past months but she still acted like she was looking at the floor."What did I say about yelling at our baby?" William crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow, awaiting a response from his wife.

Aurora mumbled something quietly, keeping her eyes away from William, but he cleared his throat loudly, still expecting a response."Don't yell at the baby bump because it-"

"They, Aurora, _they_. Our baby is a living creature not an 'it'."

" _They_." Aurora hissed before continuing."They can hear me speak to them. Happy now?" William maintained his expression for a few more seconds before breaking out in a smile. He came over to Aurora and wrapped his arms around her, lovingly placing his head on her shoulder as he touched her stomach gently.

"That's right. Our little baby can hear every word that their mommy says. Isn't that right, baby?" William instantly dropped to his knees where he happily began to rub his cheek against Aurora's stomach while she cringed and tensed up. That was one thing that Aurora hated about this pregnancy: William's affection practically doubled(or maybe tripled?) ever since he learned she was pregnant.

"William, step away." Aurora said as she grasped his head and pushed him back. His eyes were still glossy from joy but he stood up and gave her a bright smile.

"Sorry darling. I just can't help it! Next month, Aurora, next month!" William had been counting the days until the due date and finally, they were reaching the end. He couldn't be happier but Aurora was dreading this day; she had heard many stories from the other Queens-primarily against her will-about their own experiences giving birth or people they have heard of. Aurora tried to act like she was ignoring them but the stories were eventually getting to her and slowly, her nerves increased. She never admitted this to William however, knowing how happy he was to know his child would be born soon.

"Yes, how wonderful." Aurora grumbled as she turned away from William before pausing and turning back to him."Are we going to the meeting now in the Moon Kingdom or not?"

"Of course, of course!" William declared as he linked his arm with Aurora's, leaving her no room to break free."I'll leave you with the other Queens and I'll handle the meeting."

"What?! No, I can handle a meeting just fine!" Aurora was also tired of William trying to do her work all the time; he had started doing this around her sixth month of pregnancy and hasn't stopped since."I'm pregnant, not useless." Although pregnancy was kind of useless in Aurora's opinion…

"Nonsense! You need to rest and enjoy your time with the Queens. I'm certain you'll learn a lot from them." William said this primarily because Aurora had refused attending any classes for parents and even denied advice from his mother, who made it a habit of calling every week to ask how the pregnancy was going."They're mothers too and, if all goes well, their children will be playing with our baby for Grace knows how long!" William had already set up future playdates with Crescent involving his three month old daughter, Malia, and how their children would get along great(and in the case that the baby turned out to be a boy, perhaps they could be betrothed).

"You know I don't like spending time with them. Their words mean nothing." Aurora said with narrowed eyes towards William who acted like he hadn't heard what she said.

"I'm glad you agree. I'll leave you with them the second we arrive." William declared. Aurora was about to respond, upset that he had ignored her statement, but before she could say anything, William dragged her along to the balloon; the ride happened so fast, Aurora wasn't even aware they had arrived. She tried to repeat her statement and force William to listen to it but he once again ignored her statements as he began to lead her to the Queens that were present in the Moon Kingdom palace.

"You keep ignoring me!" Aurora finally got out and William paused for a moment, slowing down in leading her."I _don't_ want to talk with them." William gave her a soft smile and he hugged her, partially to distract her and partially to keep moving her without her noticing.

"Darling, it'll really do you good to speak with them. They have so much experience!" At this point, Aurora realized that William would likely continue to use the exact same reasoning, no matter how many times she asked. So, she made the decision to remain silent as William finally brought her to the comfort room in the palace. He opened the door, kissed Aurora quickly on the cheek, and he pushed her inside and shut the door behind her should she try to turn back and escape.

Aurora stumbled slightly when she entered but she quickly composed herself, trying to avoid seeming unprofessional. She glanced around the room quickly, taking note of who was here and who wasn't. Per normal, Queen Cascade, Queen Talia, and Queen Ivy were already there, while Queen Blaise and Queen Emmaline were still absent, likely dealing with their families at the moment. Also something normal was the fact that Crescent was present once more except this time, he had his three month old on his lap.

"Lumi just insisted that she was fine to get back into the swing of things so I promised to watch Malia today. Not that it's a problem." Crescent explained before happily making silly faces towards his daughter who stared at him with occasional giggles before eventually relaxing against his stomach. Aurora scrunched up her nose in response and she took a seat, trying to keep distance between herself and the other Queens(and King)."Anyways, I can see our expecting Queen has finally arrived. How have you been, Aurora?"

"I'm fine." She said stiffly, not wanting to go into more details.

"Are you sure? Last I heard from William, you haven't been able to sleep well because of the kicking." Aurora sighed, knowing she should have expected that William would talk to the others about her experience; he wasn't the best at keeping his mouth shut when he had news which was another trait that bothered Aurora.

"Yes, it has been a bit uncomfortable but nothing I can't handle." Although, if someone had seen Aurora last night, they would know it bothered her far more than she let on; she originally had the temptation to strike her own stomach, wondering if it would stop the baby from kicking her, but William was adamant about that not working and being dangerous for the baby(then again, Aurora was certain he's never heard of someone trying it so maybe it could have worked?)."I am perfectly fine."

"That's good to know then. Lumi was in such pain carrying our little angel." Crescent reminiscenced with a smile, recalling how much his wife had depended on him during her pregnancy."That reminds me. Have you decided on a name yet?" Aurora stared at Crescent with a mixture of confusion and realization.

"N-No, we haven't." Now that Aurora thought about it, she didn't recall William ever mentioning any possible names."William and I never really talked about it…"

"Well, you have to have some idea." Talia began as she raised an eyebrow towards Aurora; it was a little difficult to take her seriously in Aurora's opinion as Talia's dog-like features made the eyebrow raise seem more comedic than questioning."Names are very important. They're what everyone else will remember of your child in the future, and in their legacy." Aurora had to agree with her there; her own name was a modification of former Queen, Auralis, who was well known for her strict rule yet gentleness with her people(Aurora at the very least had half of those traits). She hadn't even put that much thought into the name of her own child.

"I… I guess you're right." Even though she agreed, Aurora didn't like to admit that someone else was right."But, it shouldn't be anything difficult. There are plenty of names to choose from and bountiful amounts of history to go off of as well."

"A very true point. My suggestion however is that you try to avoid long-winded names or ones that sound idiotic." Queen Cascade recommended as she drank from her teacup."Don't curse your child with a name that is so difficult to remember or take seriously that others just forget about it. No one remembers an Azalea-Anne-Marie or Adecyn-Alexander. They remember short and simple names, like my Yamul." After transitioning the conversation to her daughter, Queen Cascade began to brag, like she did every time the Queens met with each other.

"My suggestion is that you pick a beautiful name that shows exactly what kind of person your baby will be." Ivy said as she proudly straightened up."Why, I named each of my children according to their personalities. It ensures that no one expects more or less of my children." It wasn't the best suggestion in Aurora's opinion-even she understood that you couldn't predict a child's personality from birth-but it was something to consider nonetheless(even though it did result in simple names like Joy which Aurora considered particularly strange).

"May I provide a recommendation as well, since everyone else already is?" Crescent asked although Aurora would have preferred if he didn't offer advice."I say you just pick a name you like. Had Lumi and I listened to everything all of you are saying, why, my little girl wouldn't have her name right now. She could have ended up an Anastasia. A Comet. Or maybe something like Luna." Aurora still found the name 'Malia' to be strange but she kept her mouth shut on that matter."Just pick whatever name you think is right. For whatever reason you have behind it."

* * *

"William?" Aurora began as she stared up at the ceiling in her bedroom; William had recently stepped out of the bath and was putting on his night clothes when she spoke.

"Yes Darling?" He responded as he finished and sat on the edge of the bed with a smile. Aurora could already see his eyes drifting to her baby bump which seemed more prominent when she was on her back.

"I… I have something to ask you. About today."

"Does this have to do with the meeting? I already asked King Larios to send me a letter with his notes from the meeting; I didn't mean to fall asleep." Aurora gave a dismissive wave of her hand, having already gotten over the fact that William slept through the meeting during their ride back.

"Not that. I talked with the Queens today-" Aurora could already see a smug look growing on William's face and she growled at him."Stop that. It was inevitable; I had no choice!" She took a moment to calm down before continuing her train of thought."I was speaking with them and they asked me about what we were planning to name our child. And it made me think… we never did pick out a name, did we?" Aurora was going to continue but William stopped her instantly with an excited squeal.

"My Graces Aurora, I've been waiting to talk about this since we found out you were pregnant!" He excitedly grasped Aurora's hands and he faced her with his eyes sparkling with joy."I filled a whole journal up with all the names we could give our child! I'll get it right now." William let go of her and he rushed over to their bookshelf where he began to yank books out of it in search of the journal; finally, he pulled out a pale pink journal decorated in colorful stickers."Here it is! Oh Aurora, I can't believe we're finally going to decide on this!" William sat down beside Aurora on the bed, already flipping to the first page."Girl names first?"

"I-I guess so." Aurora said, still partially in surprise; she didn't expect William to be this happy. She sat up slowly, pushing her pillows up to support her.

"Oh, wonderful! I'll admit, the girl side is my favorite so far out of all the names I've come up with! I bet you'll love them too!"

* * *

Aurora had long since lost track of time. The hours blended together the more William talked and at this point, she was relying on the kicks from her baby which were partially consistent in waking her up every hour if she fell asleep. At the very least, William was finally nearing the end of the journal.

"What about North? I mean, think about it! It's a name that works for both boys and girls and, on a compass, everyone relies on north to tell them which direction they should go. It's perfect for our future leader!"

"We are not naming our child North. That's just idiotic." Aurora said although she was certain that this wasn't the first time this sentence passed her lips.

"Okay, okay. What about Zealand? It-"

"No, next one."

"Peregrine?"

"That's the name of a bird."

"Paloma?"

"Also the name of a bird. Just smaller than Peregrine."

"You have to like at least one of these names!"

"I don't _have_ to like them."

"But Aurora! This is our baby! And so far, you've taken down every name I've provided! I really tried with these okay?"

"None of those names are even remotely fitting for our child." Aurora said harshly, primarily because she was frustrated and tired; she was thankful at least that the baby's kicks had slowed down, as though the baby was equally tired of listening to William."Perhaps if you didn't pick and create such idiotic names, this wouldn't be a problem."

"Funny how this suddenly means so much to you. Just last month you were asking the doctor behind my back if it was still too late to 'get rid of it'." William declared bitterly, his joy from earlier quickly evolving into anger. Aurora remained silent at that comment, instead narrowing her eyes towards William until she could think of something."This is our first and possibly last child and all you could think of since the beginning of the pregnancy was how to make it go away! I've at least been making an effort here, taking care of you and coming up with all these names!"

"If this is your attempt at guilting me into apologizing for last month, then I will not. This is my body and I never wanted this in the first place."

"But _I_ wanted it. Why can't you just let me have something I want for once? I always complied with your wishes before this; what's wrong with doing something that you would have had to do in the future anyways? We can't go through our whole lives with no child. We're royalty, the leaders of this kingdom. If our line dies off, the kingdom goes with it. I mean, what if something happened to us tomorrow? Who can we leave our kingdom to? Your Mother and Father? What are they going to do? They couldn't tell the palace servants from their own flesh and blood!"

Aurora was hit hard by that last statement but she tried her best to ignore it with suppression."If we died tomorrow, then I would be the happiest woman in the afterlife. Not only would I no longer have to listen to your incessant complaining but then this baby would go down with us." William opened his mouth to say something but now he seemed like a fish out of water; he tried to stutter out a response but produced nothing prompting him to stop. He glared at Aurora and she could see tears beginning to well up in the corners of his eyes.

"Forget I even said anything. Get rid of the baby if you want to! Clearly, it doesn't mean as much to you as it does to me." And with that, William got up from the bed and in a rush of emotions, he left the room, throwing the journal with names back inside as he did so. Aurora jumped when the journal hit the floor but she remained in place.

"He'll be back anyways."Aurora mumbled to herself as she laid back in bed, attempting to sleep. As though it could sense the sudden tension, the baby's kicking returned and Aurora groaned at the baby's energy."You little… you're just as stupid as William!" She raised her fist with the intention of striking the area where her baby kicked the most but her fist faltered slightly; it probably had to do with William's constant corrections. She placed her hand back down and returned to staring at the ceiling."It's him that's being overdramatic anyways. He just doesn't understand how I feel!"

Had she not been clear enough with him? Had William been misinterpreting her feelings this whole time? Was he so obsessed with the idea of having a baby that he neglected Aurora's own needs and wants? That had to be it; what else could explain why he was so upset?

After a few minutes of Aurora attempting to sleep in silence, she heard the door to her bedroom open again. She shut her eyes quickly and pretended to be asleep. She could hear a gentle shuffle across the floor and soon enough, the bed creaked slightly beside her. She heard William shifting around to get under the blankets and she opened her eyes slightly to look at him. There was a slight glisten to his cheeks when the moonlight from the partially open window landed on him. Once he was in place and his back was to Aurora, he spoke.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to shout or say those things. Please don't be mad at me." He tensed up beside her as though he was about to begin sobbing again. Aurora frowned and she gently reached over to him and placed her hand on his cheek; it was wet beneath her palm and she tried her best to wipe the tears away."I don't want you to hate me."

"I'm not mad." Well, Aurora was still a little frustrated but she didn't want him to feel worse."I was just being insensitive. I know this means a lot to you and I ignored that." William sniffled and he turned around to face her; his cheeks were coated in a thin layer of tears while he began to hiccup slightly. Aurora cleaned up his tears before cupping his face and brushing his cheek with her thumb."Please, don't cry. I don't like to see you like this." She shifted closer to him and she craned her head slightly to place a kiss on his forehead."Come on, where's my happy husband? I need your smiles to get me through my day." Aurora wasn't one for sappy, romantic words but on occasion, she had some in mind.

She couldn't help a small smile appearing on her lips when William smiled shyly in response to her."There's the smile I know! I thought I lost it for a second." His smile transformed into a light chuckle as he cheerfully pulled himself closer to Aurora, and placed his head directly beside her on her pillow.

"You really don't hate me?"

"No, of course not. I could never hate you." She wrapped her arm around him and closed her eyes for a moment."By the way, there was a name or two I did like in the journal. You just said them all so fast, I couldn't stop you."

"Was it Zealand and North?"

"Oh Graces no, those were horrible. But it's in your journal somewhere." William smiled brightly before finally closing his eyes and falling asleep. Aurora opened her eyes for a moment to look at him and this time, a genuine smile crossed her face at seeing him sleep so happily. She snuggled up to him and went to sleep herself.


	3. Chapter 3

A month after talking with William, Aurora's water broke; she had been seated in her study, reviewing documents with William helping her when she was suddenly hit by a wave of pain. In a matter of hours afterwards, Aurora had finally reached the point of giving birth; in minutes after that, Aurora was holding her child-and to her, she's never held such perfection.

"You're so beautiful." Aurora mumbled quietly as she gently pushed back the flurry of curls that were situated on her child's forehead."I've never seen anything so perfect…" She curled one of her child's orange-red locks of hair around her finger."Isn't he beautiful William?" He didn't respond, as his face was still buried in his hands; he trembled slightly as a nurse tried to comfort him."He'll be a wonderful King. I just know it."

The doctor stood awkwardly on the side, trying to give them time but knowing she couldn't let this go on for long."Your Highness…" She began, her face solemn and her voice monotonous."You need to give him back to me…" Aurora didn't respond or react to the doctor as she continued twirling her son's hair around her finger."Your Highness, please…"

Aurora didn't stop her movements, prompting William to finally look up. His eyes were already puffy and his cheeks were marked with tear stains."Aurora, please. Give him to her."

Aurora stopped and she slowly looked up to the doctor; she was void of any emotion but she handed her son to the doctor, who took him with a frown."Thank you." She said to Aurora before handing off the silent child to the nurse. The doctor then moved closer to the quiet mother and she tried to console her."If it helps… the other one is still breathing."

"That won't last long." Aurora stated curtly as she sat back against the pillows."It's clearly the weaker one. The runt of the two. It won't last through the night." The doctor swallowed a lump in her throat at Aurora's statement; William meanwhile only stared at his wife with a horrified expression before turning to the doctor.

"I-I want to see them." William said in a soft voice. The doctor nodded and she left for a few moments before coming back with a small bundle of blankets. Aurora made no motion to take the bundle herself but William put his arms out, awaiting his other child. The doctor handed the baby to him carefully, noticing that he was still trembling."T-Thank you."

William shifted the bundle in his arms and a soft smile graced his features."My Graces Aurora, she's beautiful." He glanced up towards her, his smile slowly growing."Just like her mother."

"Tch." Aurora said as she turned away from him, acting like she was about to take a nap. William frowned at her reaction but he still held his child close.

"You're a lovely little girl aren't you? What name should you have? Are you a little Dove? Or maybe you'll be my little North? A Zealand?"

"You are not naming her that." Aurora said as she continued to have her back facing him."You're not giving her any name. She's not going to last the night so what's the point?"

* * *

"What about Atlantis? I bet you like that name!" William glanced towards his daughter with a smile, but she still didn't react."Okay, I guess not. Next page!"

"Can you give it a rest already?" Aurora hissed as she sat up from her bed and faced William; he paused in rocking his chair, which he had brought into their bedroom since their daughter's birth yesterday."You've been doing this since last night!"

"Well, of course I am." William began before raising his head in a proud manner."Contrary to your belief, our little fighter is still very much alive. And still quite the beauty too."

"That's just luck! She probably won't last by the end of the week."

"That still means she was alive for more than what you thought." William lifted his daughter gently into the air before putting her head on his shoulder where he began to bounce her slightly to entertain her."You said there was no point in giving her a name. But look at her now! Alive and healthy after the first night." He turned his daughter towards Aurora who scrunched up her nose, something she did whenever William tried to prompt her to get close to the baby."Come on, look at this face! Even if she doesn't make it, we should at least name her." He put his daughter back down and opened his journal again."But she's just like you; she doesn't like any of the names I told her!"

Aurora rolled her eyes and she tried to go back to sleep although William just continued his efforts of picking a name."It's not even that important."

"Yes, yes it is important!" William declared, having heard Aurora even though she hadn't spoken loudly."This is our baby! Our legacy! Our future! She's our child so right now, she is the most important thing in our lives!"

"Please, she has no more importance than the one that didn't make it." William was surprised by how easily she was able to say that considering her reaction to the death of their son."Actually, she is likely less important. If our healthiest didn't survive, who's to say she will?

"Aurora, please. Just because she was smaller and weaker doesn't mean she's less than… him." William gently stroked his daughter's cheek, prompting her to emit a giggle. He gave her a sad smile as he continued speaking."At least give her a chance. Her party is in a few days; we at least need a name by then."

"No we do not since she won't even last by then!" Aurora shouted, tired of William's constant insistence."What don't you understand you moron?!" She threw herself back into bed, yanking the covers over her face. She was sick and tired of listening to William insisting that she would last. The perfect, healthy one hadn't lived; why would that make it any different from the one who was barely the same size? Or who barely had the same beauty?

Aurora clenched her eyes shut, trying to force herself to sleep to ignore William when she felt a slight weight on her side. She groaned and pulled her blanket off her face slightly only to end up face to face with her daughter who stared back quietly."William, get it off of me."

"No, you need to learn to love her." William insisted as he shifted his daughter closer to Aurora's face, causing her to cringe."Since you won't name her, you have to hold her at least."

"No, I don't." Aurora would have pushed her daughter away had she not noticed the thin line of drool slowly trailing out of the corner of her mouth; the thought of touching it by accident made Aurora feel sick to her stomach."Get her away, she's drooling!"

"No, she is your daughter, drool and all." William pushed her even closer and Aurora was near the point of gagging."Now, give her a nice big kiss on her cheek. She loves kisses."

"I will not-" William moved her even closer and Aurora gasped as she tried to lean back."William, I'm serious! That is so disgusting!"

"I will hold you hostage as long as I need to. Even if that means all night."

"You wouldn-" William moved so fast that Aurora didn't have time to react. The baby was shifted so suddenly and soon enough, she was over Aurora's face, staring down at her mother. The drool that had been coming from the corner of her mouth began to run downwards and Aurora nearly screamed."S-Stop!"

"A good mother holds her little baby and doesn't mind a little bit of drool on her face." William slowly began to lower his daughter, closer and closer to Aurora's face. She had lost all color to her cheeks and Aurora was practically gasping for air, terrified as to having a baby drool on her face.

"W-William, please! N-No!" Aurora really did feel sick and she put a hand over her mouth, worried she might vomit by accident. Her daughter seemed perfectly oblivious and merely began to giggle, thinking her father was playing a game."D-Don't do this t-to me!" He didn't seem like he was planning to stop anytime soon however, further worrying Aurora."Please, I'll help give her a name! Just don't bring her any closer!"

In one slick movement, William pulled their daughter back over his shoulder and he sat down beside Aurora, who was slowly regaining color."See, that wasn't so hard now was it?"

"I… hate you."

"No you don't darling." William said with a slight chuckle before kissing Aurora's cheek."Now, what page of the journal did you want to look over for names?"

"None of them." Aurora hissed towards him with her eyes narrowed."You're forcing me to do this, so I will pick whatever name I want."

"But, I thought up so many!"

"And your point is? Did you think you could hold me hostage and still get your way?" William opened his mouth to respond but he knew he had nothing to say in return so he merely sat back and he began to bounce their daughter on his knee gently."Now, shut up and let me think. I don't want this to take long."

"You should take your tim-"

"I've decided on a name." William blinked in surprise at Aurora's speed but he still smiled with a raised eyebrow.

"Already? What name?"

"The name is… something you don't get to find out until her party. Now good night and keep her away." Aurora quickly ducked under the covers before William could ask anything; he was still confused and he struggled to come up with a response. Finally, he managed to think of something even though Aurora had already fallen asleep.

"Are you just stalling?"

* * *

"Aw, she's such a cutie!"

"She doesn't even cry when I hold her!"

"Not as charming as my little Malia, but close enough."

William felt quite proud right now. It was the night where he could finally showcase his daughter to the other Kings, Queens, and nobility and he has never felt better. He was overjoyed that they were gushing over his little daughter that he had nearly forgotten that Aurora never told him the name she had decided on. Well, nearly.

"What's her name?" Queen Luminous asked as she handed Malia off to Crescent in order to pick up William's daughter. She held her with a smile, making silly faces to entertain her."I bet it's a beautiful name."

"Well, uh, Aurora hasn't actually told me yet what to name her…"

The Queens and Kings were silent as they turned to William with surprised expressions."You don't know the name of your own child?! It's been more than a week!"

"I-I know but Aurora insisted that I wouldn't know until today and I don't like to pressure her or anything…"

"But this is _your_ child. You should have a say as to what her name is. Especially since you said Aurora wasn't the happiest when it came to being a mother."

"I… I guess you're right. But, Aurora just needs time and space to think…"

"William, you have more than enough reason to make this decision or at least know what she has in mind. Go over to her now and talk to her."

"Or you can grow a pair and demand she tell you. Just a suggestion." William frowned at King Aiden's suggestion-then again, Aiden had his six fiery sons to deal with-but he still took the general idea of his advice.

"You guys are right… I'm going to talk to her right now." William took his daughter from Queen Luminous and he sought out Aurora who had made a point of staying on the opposite side of the ballroom from those attending the party. She was sitting by herself, not making any effort to create an inviting area at her table but William steeled himself and walked over.

"Aurora, we need to talk."

"About?" She said calmly, in her usual professional way; William already didn't like that, considering Aurora only ever acted like that when it came to dealing with someone she didn't want to talk to.

"About our baby's name. You said I would find out at the party and frankly… I don't think that's fair." Aurora did not respond nor did she seem like she was planning to so William continued."I came up with a lot of nice names for her and you didn't even want to think of any. I think I should get to choose her name and unveil it when we give the speech. I already have one in mind that would be perfect for her and-"

"No."

"W-What, I-Aurora, were you even listening to what I said?"

"Of course. I always listen."

"Then why did you still say no?"

"Because I have already made up my mind."

"B-But! Aurora, _I_ should pick the name not you!"

"Not that long ago you were insisting that I pick the name. When I actually do it, it suddenly becomes a problem?"

"Y-You don't understand! I wanted you to pick but not anymore! I-I mean… what I mean is… um… I-I just don't think you should take on this responsibility…" Aurora continued to wait patiently for William to collect himself for a better response."I-I-I mean… y-you said you didn't want her in the first place… I-I shouldn't have tried to make you pick her name…That's far too precious…"

"Thus why I took some time to think about it."

"You… You did?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? You said it yourself, this is our legacy here. I don't want it to be eternally cursed by the horrid names you have."

"W-What did you pick then?"

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! May we have your attention please?" Everyone turned in the direction of William's voice as he chose to not stand on the stage in the ballroom, opting instead to remain beside Aurora. He didn't need to stand up there anyways, his energy so bountiful that everyone in the room could feel it." My lovely wife, Aurora, and I would like to begin by thanking all of you for joining us to celebrate the birth of our lovely daughter."

The sound of vibrant clapping filled the room, many of the guests murmuring in agreement."But, tonight, I have been asked a question I could not answer; I was asked for the name of my child." There were nobles who raised an eyebrow in confusion while the Kings and Queens looked at each other knowingly."But it is with great pleasure that I can finally announce the name of my darling child." William lifted his daughter in the air, hoping everyone could see her; he glanced back to Aurora with a smile even though she turned away. He could still see the slight smile that she was trying to hide and he continued." May I present to you all the lovely, brilliant little princess of the Sunny Kingdom, my and Aurora's daughter, Princess Elsa!"

There were some who clapped in the crowd while others laughed or talked about William's enthusiasm. He didn't care what they did or said; this moment was special enough for him, equivalent to every happy moment in his life. Nothing compared to letting her name roll off his tongue with more joy and pleasure than he could express.

It wasn't possible to make William any happier than he already was.

* * *

 **"** **So Aurora… how did you pick the name?" William couldn't help being immensely curious. Aurora never expressed interest in a name similar to 'Elsa' nor was there a historical figure with a name like that or even something similar. He turned towards his wife who was reading in bed while he continued to try to rock Elsa to sleep." I mean, you always have a reason for everything."**

"Not everything." She said as she flipped the page in her book."Sometimes, things just happen."

"But you're you! You always have some sort of meaning behind every choice. So tell me, why that name?"

"Does it really matter? I named her, exactly what you wanted. Case closed."

"But Aurora! I'll just die if you don't tell me!"

"You say it but you don't mean it." She said as she shut her book and placed it on her nightstand; she shifted down in the bed to cover herself with blankets."Now good night. End of discussion."

"... I'll put Elsa on you again."

Aurora groaned before sitting up, annoyed." Fine. I picked the name because I _liked_ it. Happy now? Can I sleep?"

"...Because you liked it?"

"That's what I just said."

"Not some other reason like 'it'll make her a good ruler' or something like that. Just because you like it?"

"Yes, why is that so hard to believe?" Aurora said with a scowl before covering herself with the blankets again." Now you have your answer so good night."

William was still a bit surprised that Aurora didn't have a 'practical' reason behind it but he had no complaints. He smiled and continued to move around in his attempt to put Elsa to sleep.

"Look at that. Guess your mommy did care a little bit about you."


	4. Chapter 4

Finally remembered to answer the reviews. XD

Anyways, I'm glad y'all are enjoying what I've written so far and I hope you'll all continue to enjoy it. :)

King Maverick: I'm glad I'm able to make you both hate and love Aurora at different times. Kind of what I was going for in those chapters. XD

As for the Grace thing, I thought it would be an interesting little thing to add. I wouldn't say the Wonder Planet has been seen worshipping any specific deities from what can be seen but figures like the Mother Moon/Monmon Golem, Blessing of the Sun/Princess Grace, and others seem like the deities for these specific kingdoms or at least who they worship. So it seemed like it would make sense if Grace replaced Gosh/God in those phrases, at least for the Sunny Kingdom. XD

As to your question, he wasn't actually given a name then; William didn't have the heart to do it and Aurora didn't want to think about doing it so he was never given an official name by either parent. It won't be something that is even thought about until years later when Aurora wonders what it would have been like if her son had survived instead of Elsa. If I had done the story differently, he could be alive and likely would have been named something along the lines of Frederick or Finnian.

* * *

"Come on, darling, say it! It's only two syllables: Pa-Pa. Come on, say it now." William tried to give an encouraging smile to Elsa, hoping it would prompt her to say it but she only giggled and tried to grab his face."Okay, I guess you still aren't ready…" He said with a sigh before taking her small bowl from the table. He stirred the pudding he had been feeding her before lifting a spoonful to her eye level."Open up the station! The train's coming in! Ahhhh~!" He began to make train noises as he shifted the spoonful closer, causing her to exuberantly bounce up and down in her high-chair before opening her mouth.

William fed her the pudding and he couldn't help laughing to himself at her excitement."Somebody really likes chocolate! _Papa_ likes it too you know." He emphasized 'Papa' for her in hopes that she would do it anyways but Elsa merely let out a string of jumbled noises, the only thing she's been doing recently."Come on, sweetheart!" He pulled Elsa up from her high-chair and began to lift her up and down above him."I know you can do it! Papa! Papa!"

Rather than the hopeful surprise William had been expecting, instead he ended up with Elsa spitting up on him from being lifted up and down so much after eating. He was only thankful that it hadn't landed on his face like last time."Okay, maybe I should be more careful…" He put her back in her high chair as he tried to clean his shirt; the door opened and he glanced up but resumed what he was doing as it was only Aurora.

"Finally, you stopped with your stupid chanting and asking her over and over again." She sounded annoyed but it was a tone that William was used to so he only gave her a dismissive look."It's been keeping me from doing my work. I told you to be more quiet. I can hear you down the hall."

"Aurora, I can't keep this quiet! It's important that Elsa says her first words; she's nearly a year old and she hasn't said anything aside from her noises a week ago that-even though no one believes me-I swear sounded like she said Papa. But now she won't say it again! We still have time for her to say her first words but… I want her to say Papa first like she's supposed to. If she doesn't, I'll just die!"

Aurora rolled her eyes at his dramatic words."I don't care if this isn't something you can't keep quiet; I actually have _important_ things to do so keep it down or _else_." She then turned and left the dining hall; once she was gone, William made faces in the direction she went before rolling his eyes.

"She just doesn't understand how important this is." William grumbled as he reached for the bowl of pudding with the intent of feeding Elsa the rest to take her to play in her nursery." Honestly, I have half a mind to-"

"Mama!"

William froze in place, holding the pudding bowl and spoon in mid-air. He turned slowly to Elsa and he shifted an inch closer."W-What did you say?" She gave him her innocent smile and continued to bounce up and down in her chair. William stared at her for a few more seconds before slowly placing the pudding bowl back onto the table.

' _I probably just imagined it. I must be trying so hard to hear her say something that I'm hallucinating._ '

"Mama!" William's head whipped towards her, his eyes wide. He placed his hands on the small table of the high chair as he stared deeply into her eyes.

"Did… Did you say Mama?" She mirrored his expression except she began to stick her hands in her mouth while she stared. William waited patiently, not wanting to miss it this time. She took her hands out of her mouth and began to bounce up and down again.

"Mama, Mama!" She shouted out with each bounce and she accompanied it with a flurry of giggles. William's eyes widened and his heart melted out of joy. He pulled Elsa from her high-chair once more and began to spin around with her.

"You did say something! You did!" He declared proudly as he continued spinning."You finally said your first word! Oh Graces, this is wonderful!" He paused in his spinning as he held her so they were eye level."We have to tell everyone about this!"

The maids and servants in the hallways of the palace that day recall seeing William run out of the dining hall and go around the palace, shouting out that Elsa had said her first word. Some of the servants congratulated the King and Princess while others just focused on resuming their work, used to the energy that William often brought to the hallways. William's final stop in the palace was Aurora's study, which was originally locked but after enough shouting and furious knocking, Aurora opened it.

"What part of busy are you not understanding William?" Aurora hissed as she opened the door but William hurriedly threw his weight onto the door and forced her to open it with his momentum. She was caught off guard and narrowly avoided falling by gripping onto the door handle tightly."What is wrong with you?!"

"She did it Aurora, she did it!" He screeched excitedly, prompting Aurora to cover her ears at his volume."She said her first word! Oh, say it again darling so Mama can hear it!" William moved Elsa directly in front of Aurora, prompting her to step back to get some space. Her daughter excitedly began to reach out for her.

"Mama, mama, mama!" William squealed at Elsa's repetition of her first word and he looked at Aurora expectantly, certain that she would react the same way. Instead, Aurora lightly pushed Elsa and William's arms out of her face so she could escape around him.

"Yes, yes, amazing. I am in shock." Aurora said sarcastically with a long eye roll before crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes towards William."Now do you mind? This is hardly important enough to justify barging into my study just to tell me this."

"It is important! It's a milestone in her life!"

"And that is supposed to mean what to me? It's just another step closer to her developing the ability to annoy me incessantly. I wouldn't care if she spoke a paragraph or a sentence, nevermind a word."

"But Aurora, she said…!" William paused for a moment and his posture slumped slightly; his smile disappeared for a few moments as he gave Aurora a sad look."She said Mama. She said your name first." It had just dawned on William that Elsa had called for Aurora first rather than him; after all the weeks he had spent trying to get Elsa to say Papa, she had said Mama despite the fact that Aurora had barely interacted with her when William was trying to get her to speak."Isn't that great that she said Mama first...?"

"Yes, it is oh-so-amazing." Aurora said with another sarcastic eye roll before she pointed at the door."Now _out_. When you actually have something worthwhile to tell me, then knock at my door."

* * *

"Come on darling. You figured out how to say Mama. Now say Papa!" William's expression was desperate at this point as he held Elsa above her crib. Her eyelids were drooping and she didn't even have the energy to giggle like she normally did."Just say Papa and I'll sing you a lullaby! Come on, just once? For me?" He pulled her closer and his desperation was disturbingly obvious to her-and it was terrifying. Thus, Elsa began to cry, beginning with a soft sniffle before evolving into a loud scream."A-Ah, no! D-Don't cry! I didn't mean to scare you! Ah, um…"

William hurriedly sat down in the rocking chair in her nursery and he began to rock furiously back and forth, switching between different lullabies to calm her down."Shh, shh, it's okay. Papa didn't mean to scare you. Let's calm down and go to sleep now okay?"

For a few moments, Elsa did calm down, her cries reduced to whimpers and hiccups; that is until the door suddenly slammed open, making William jump and nearly drop Elsa from his lap. Instantly, she began to scream and he panicked, hurriedly beginning to rock her again. He glanced up with a terrified look only to see Aurora searching around the nursery while mumbling under her breath."Aurora, you scared us to death!"

"Damn baby monitor is too loud." She said with a scowl before finally locating the one in Elsa's nursery. She shut it off and slammed it back into place."I can't sleep with that stupid thing!" It had been a constant complaint from Aurora since William first got the baby monitors; there was one in their bedroom but William had done his own modifications and removed the ability to change the volume of the monitor or to even turn it off.

"How else am I supposed to know if Elsa needs something?" William asked although he lowered his voice to avoid scaring his daughter again. She was finally calming down once more although she didn't go to sleep yet and still continued to sniffle.

"If you're so concerned, just stay in here then. Maybe I'll finally get some peace and quiet."

"You know, I'm really not appreciating your to-"

"Mama!" William froze and he looked down at Elsa, who had started to put her arms out towards Aurora."Mama!" His mood dropped and he frowned before lifting Elsa up in Aurora's direction."S-She's calling for you."

"I am not holding her. I am going back to bed." Aurora turned to leave but Elsa began to whimper.

"Mama! Mama!" She shouted out as she began to wiggle in William's arms."Mama!"

"Aurora, please! She's calling for you!" Aurora groaned before she turned back around and walked towards William while grumbling under her breath. She took Elsa roughly from William but Elsa didn't seem to care. She stopped calling for Aurora and happily smiled towards her.

"There, she's calm. Now take her back." William put his hands out to take Elsa back but she began to whine again before trying to grab onto Aurora. William frowned and he put his hands behind his back.

"I think she wants to be with you…"

"But I don't want her. Take her back; I have a meeting tomorrow and I need to sleep!"

"Aurora!... Please… Just this one night?" William gave her a pleading look, hoping to break her down. Aurora rolled her eyes and despite her own annoyance, she cradled Elsa with her arms, instantly having a calming effect on her daughter.

William watched her do so with a longing expression but he tried to forget about it. He figured that this would be the last time anyways; perhaps tomorrow Elsa would finally start to call 'Papa' instead and he would be the one to pick her up and put her to sleep. That was the only thought that brought a smile to William's face.

* * *

"Mama, mama, mama!" Elsa shouted as she slammed her small hands on her table. Aurora groaned from her seat at the dining room table and she looked towards William with her eyes narrowed.

"I'm not feeding her. I've been doing it for Grace knows how long already! It's _your_ turn." She pointed at William with her knife which she had been using to butter her roll.

"But she's calling for you…" William mumbled as he took a bite from the strawberry he had put on his plate. He hadn't eaten much since breakfast started, mainly from his own sadness."It'll confuse her if I go to feed her when she's calling for you…"

"But I'm sick and tired of having to do it every time! You said 'just one night' but I've been feeding Elsa and putting her to bed every single night for nearly a month!"

"I-I know I said just one night but… She keeps calling for you not me." At least when Elsa couldn't talk, William could assume by her motions that she wanted him to get her. But now all Elsa ever said or even motioned to was Aurora, causing William to feel left out."Please, just one more time? Elsa will learn to say Papa by today, I swear. And then she won't call to you anymore."

Aurora growled towards William before standing up and sitting beside Elsa's high-chair; her daughter excitedly began to bounce in her seat, only intensifying William's sadness. He watched Aurora begin to feed Elsa her breakfast before putting his head down on the table, unable to take seeing it anymore. Why stare at something that didn't want him?

* * *

"What's wrong William? You've hardly touched your sundae. I had yours made exactly how you wanted! Is it missing something?"

"No… I just hate my life Emmy."

Queen Emmaline's eyes widened in surprise before she put her own sundae back on the table and placed a hand on William's back; he was face down on the table with his whole body leaning on it as well."What's wrong William? It's not like you to be in this sort of mood. Did something happen?" She was used to William's bubbly attitude where he would already be cracking jokes and laughing at himself; she didn't know what happened but she didn't like depressed, self-loathing William as much as his other self."You can talk to me about it. I won't say a word to anyone else, no matter what it is."

William glanced up slightly towards Emmaline, his normally bright ruby red eyes having lost their shine."Elsa hates me Emmy."

"What? What do you mean Elsa hates you?" Emmaline found that hard to believe. Every time she had seen William with Elsa, there was always a bountiful amount of love and affection from both of them towards each other. William always paused to entertain Elsa and make her laugh while she often tried to get his attention and get him to pick her up."That's not possible."

"But she does Emmy! I've been trying for Grace knows how long to get her to say Papa but what does she say instead? Mama! She said Mama! And now that's all she ever says! She only ever asks for Aurora to show up and not me! I even took her to the park in her stroller and she just started crying and screaming for Aurora for no reason!"He put his face back down onto the table and began to sob."She hates me and she's not even a year old yet!"

"Aw, come on William. She's still a baby. She doesn't hate you!" Emmaline said as she shifted to rubbing his back, concerned about his crying."This is her first word. She's probably trying to call for you too but she only knows how to say Mama."

"I've been explaining how to say Papa for a nearly a month! She should know by now! She has to be doing it on purpose! She hates me; that's the only possible reason." He put his arms over his head as his body shook to match his cries. Emmaline pulled her hand back and she solemnly returned to eating her sundae, unsure of what to say next if William was just going to continue. Depressed William was no fun in Emmaline's opinion.

They remained there with Emmaline trying to find anything else to do besides stare at William, whose sobbing had gone quiet but was still blatantly obvious. Finally, after a few minutes had passed, Emmaline decided she had enough."William, please. I know you think she hates you but she can't possibly hate you. She's always so happy with you."

"Emmy please… I already know that she hates me. We just went over this…"

"But William, think about it. Elsa has never hated you before so why would she start now?"

"I don't know why but she just does… She only loves Aurora now."

Emmaline paused to think of something nice to say to William and she thought of an idea."Does Aurora come every time Elsa calls for her?"

"Well… yes, but it's because I make Aurora go whenever Elsa calls for her. So she knows that she is Mama and I'm Papa. I don't see what that has to do with her hating me."

"Well, I mean… You told me many times that Aurora doesn't like to spend time with Elsa."

"So? What are you trying to say?"

"Think about it. Aurora doesn't come to willingly see Elsa yet she shows up whenever she calls." William stared at Emmaline, trying to understand what she meant but failing to do so."William, she's calling for Aurora on purpose."

"Because she hat-"

"She does not hate you. She knows that Aurora comes when she says Mama and she doesn't come if she says nothing. She's just trying to get Aurora's attention!" William hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out what to say next but he began to realize that Emmaline might be right.

"I guess you have a point… But why can't she say Papa? She can still call for Aurora but call for me sometimes. But she doesn't even try to call me…"

"Well, Elsa doesn't have to worry about you. You come running the second she starts crying. Aurora doesn't."

William looked down at the floor, lightly playing around with his sleeves."I… I guess… But what should I do then?"

"You can't force her to do everything at once. She's still very young so just be happy that she said anything at all." Emmaline smiled and she patted her friend's arm."Don't pressure her. Let Elsa do things on her own time."

"I… I guess I can do that…"

* * *

William didn't intend to go back to the Sunny Kingdom Palace late; he had taken some time to think about what Emmaline told him before returning. The more he considered it, the more it did seem plausible… but was Elsa really that intelligent yet? Just last week, she threw a screaming fit over discovering that William had been hiding behind his hands the whole time during their game of peek-a-boo. Was she really smart enough to figure out that Aurora would come at every 'Mama'?

He wasn't sure but he wanted to believe it. He wanted to believe that his daughter really did want him and not Aurora, who despised having to spend time with Elsa in the first place. He wanted to believe that Elsa wouldn't leave him behind in her future. He wanted to believe it and knew he should; Emmaline was right about Elsa still being a baby so he did have plenty of time with her.

Renewed by the thought of spending time with his daughter in the future, William went straight towards her nursery. Perhaps Elsa was still awake and he could put her to sleep? If Elsa had called for Aurora, she likely didn't show up since William wasn't there to force Aurora to go. Maybe he did have a chance to put her to sleep?

William opened the door to the nursery slowly and he was surprised by the sight before him. In the rocking chair was Aurora, fast asleep and leaning to the side on the arm of the chair. Elsa was sitting on her lap, holding onto Aurora's arm for support as she herself was falling asleep. William panicked instantly and he rushed over should Elsa fall over by accident. Aurora didn't wake up from the noise he made but Elsa did notice him and she looked up at him with a tired expression.

She put her arms in the air and began to make grabbing motions towards William's face."Papa!" She called out although her voice was inaudible, likely because she was too tired to put in any real effort."Papa!"

William felt his heart stop for a moment before it melted away in his chest."Y-You said it Elsa! You said Papa!" He gently wrapped his hands around Elsa and pulled her from Aurora's grasp. He lifted her up in the air slowly before kissing her cheeks as much as he could without upsetting her."I knew you would say it!"

Elsa didn't seem to react much to his affections, choosing instead to lay her head on his shoulder and fall asleep. William stopped in his celebrations and he smiled."I guess I'll let you sleep for now." He then glanced towards Aurora and he chuckled quietly to himself."Seems like I have two babies to put to bed."

William brought Elsa to her crib and he placed her inside gently, rubbing her back as he did so until she officially fell asleep. He then went to Aurora and carefully picked her up bridal style. She merely placed her head on his shoulder, much like how Elsa had done, and remained sleeping. William grinned and he walked out of the nursery with her and straight back to their room.

He had finally arrived and was trying to put Aurora into bed when she woke up, but it was clear that she was still dazed and sleepy."William…?" She asked with a confused expression as she tried to focus on his face.

"Yes darling?" He said as he began to tuck her in."Is something wrong?"

Aurora began to speak but a majority of the words were hard to understand as they blended together in a tired mumble."She was crying and…baby monitor… stupid baby…" William continued to tuck her in while shushing her lightly.

"Don't worry darling. I'm just glad you checked on her." He whispered before realizing that Aurora had fallen back to sleep. William couldn't help laughing once more before he paused to kiss Aurora's forehead.

"I guess you do care a little bit."


	5. Chapter 5

I'm not dead, I swear. XD

Because of school, my posting is going to be slowed down drastically but I'm still trying my best. Summer is coming up soon anyways. XD

King Maverick: Thanks for always leaving a review on each chapter. I appreciate it and I'm glad you enjoy it. :D

Queen Emmaline is the Queen of the Jewelry Kingdom and the mother of Aaron; she was mentioned briefly in the previous chapters before I added a part with her here as William's friend. She's usually called Emmy or Emma by everyone else.

I meant to add what William and Aurora look like before but I forgot. XD

William has orange-red hair that he usually keeps in a ponytail as it reaches his mid-back; as mentioned, he has ruby red eyes, the same shade as Elsa's.

As for Aurora, she has long hair reaching her waist that she usually keeps in a braid; the color is slightly darker shade of red than Elsa's hair. Her eyes are a light amber color.

In general, most say that Elsa looks the most like Aurora when she grew up as she really only inherited William's eyes and personality.

* * *

"Ready, set, go!" William called out before acting as though he was rushing forward. He stopped almost instantly but grinned when Elsa still took off forward, thinking he was competing in a race with her. She toddled over to the other end of the nursery and threw herself on the wall before falling to the floor and looking back at William."Looks like we have a winner!" He shouted before going over to Elsa and picking her up from the floor."I believe that earns you a whole cookie and chocolate milk."

"Ban'ai!" She called out happily in her attempt to say the word 'Banzai'. William laughed at her for trying and he kissed her cheek.

"Close enough." He shifted her onto his shoulders and she gripped onto his hair while he held her in place."Now, let's go get your reward huh?" He neighed like a horse and began to rush towards the kitchen, purposefully making his movements bumpy and all over the place to invoke her giggles. William nearly made it to the kitchen but he was stopped in the hallway by a servant.

"Your Highness, I was asked by the Queen to send you to her study. She has something she would like to discuss with you." William was caught off guard a bit by the servant and he looked in the direction of the kitchen with a longing expression; Elsa was already getting restless on his shoulders and began to chant for her milk and cookie.

"Ah, um, is it urgent?"

"I am not sure… Everything her Highness says sounds urgent."

The servant had a point there. William lightly grabbed Elsa from his shoulders and he cradled her in his arms."I guess I should go check what she wants first. Sorry darling, your reward is going to have to wait." He put Elsa's head on his shoulder as he walked in the direction of Aurora's study. Meanwhile, Elsa gave the kitchen the same longing expression William had given it as she looked over his shoulder; she put her arm out towards it and whimpered.

"Cookie?"

* * *

"What did you want to talk about Aurora?" William asked as he rubbed his daughter's back soothingly; Elsa was face down on his lap, clearly upset that she hadn't been given her reward but not wanting to make a fuss in Aurora's study."Is it urgent?" Based on Aurora's expression, William concluded… well, he couldn't conclude anything. Aurora had a hell of a poker face.

"William, I've been thinking."

"Ha, that's dangerous." William joked, earning him an instant glare from Aurora that sent shivers down his spine."C-Continue."

"I've been thinking that it's finally time that we bring in a governess for Elsa." William stared at Aurora for a few moments before raising an eyebrow.

"Why does she need a governess? She's still only a year old so there's not really anything she can learn now."

"A governess isn't solely for the purpose of learning, at least not at this age. My mother and father assigned a governess to me at this point in my life so it's only fitting to assign one to Elsa."

"Do we really want to base this off of your parents' methods?" Aurora's mother and father always infuriated William but he never had the heart to tell them off in front of Aurora. He just chose to suck it up and deal with them, knowing it gave Aurora a bit of happiness. Even if he would like to give them a good slap or two across their smug, partially wrinkled faces.

"Their methods are harsh but perfectly sound. I mean, look at how I turned out." William considered making a comment but he valued his life and his daughter too much to put his health and safety at risk.

"But what would even be the point? Is she just going to drill information into Elsa's head and then expect her to know it all afterwards?" William had heard awful stories about governesses forcing hard work and cruel punishments; he feared what one might try to do to his innocent child, who merely turned her head every time her name was mentioned."I don't want Elsa to have to go through that."

Aurora sighed at his comments; she knew he had never had a governess or even a tutor but he was being over dramatic."No you idiot. A governess will not begin her teaching until a certain age. Until then, think of her as being a personal nanny for Elsa."

"A nanny? Why in Graces would she need a nanny?" William's tone had become bitter and Aurora picked up on it right away."I take care of her just fine, thank you very much."

"I am not questioning your ability to take care of her." Aurora began, realizing that William was going on the defensive."But you do realize that we cannot possibly take care of Elsa every second of our lives, right?"

"Who says I can't?" William questioned with a harsh tone. He held his daughter protectively in a hug; Elsa didn't push her father away, being used to his hugs, but instead she curled up in his arms, thinking he was trying to show affection."See? If anyone else grabbed her like this, she would cry! We don't need anybody else to watch her."

"Okay, _genius_." Aurora hissed as she leaned back in her seat, taking a moment to decide on her next statement."What if you have a meeting?"

"I'll take her with me obviously."

"And if that meeting takes place in say, the Flame Kingdom?" Aurora saw William purse his lips together, clearly upset by this make believe scenario already. She knew very well that William and King Aiden didn't get along; Aiden never stopped shouting, swearing, and insisting on his 'manliness' which annoyed William to no end. Plus, William had an irrational fear of what the heat of the Flame Kingdom could do to Elsa's 'growth and development' so he despised bringing her along.

"Then I'll leave her with you. You two should bond more anyways."

"And if I have work to do?"

"Aurora, I'm really not liking these fake scenarios. What are the chances anyways of that even happening?"

"Try tomorrow. You said you would handle the next meeting and that meeting is in the Flame Kingdom. I have documents and work to catch up on as well. And where does that leave Elsa exactly?"

William opened his mouth to voice a solution but he shut it quickly, more stumped than he thought he would be. Aurora waited patiently, knowing that William wouldn't be able to come up with anything. Eventually, he gave up and his expression became more serious."Fine. I guess you're right." He seemed to mumble this last part but Aurora heard it nonetheless and smirked."But, we are not just picking any governess! I will personally decide who takes care of my little girl."

Aurora had expected him to ask and she reorganized the papers on her desk."I have already picked a few available governesses to meet this afternoon. That is, if that is fine with you." William stood up with an agitated expression, pulling Elsa onto his shoulders; her excitement grew instantly as she anticipated being brought to the kitchen.

"Fine whatever. Just let me know when they get here." He mumbled before leaving her office with a surly expression on his face. Aurora waited for him to leave before smiling to herself; she knew she could get him to do this if she pushed on him enough and timed it right. And what better time to corner William than today?

* * *

"I hate her. Next!" William pointed swiftly towards the door, causing the applying governess to jump. Aurora rolled her eyes and she yanked his arm down.

"William, she just got here. You didn't even give her a chance to say her name."

William huffed and he crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes towards the woman across from him, who was beginning to fidget under his gaze."I can already tell she won't be a good fit for my Elsa."

"And why not?"

"Her hair is a mess, she has a stain on the inside of her sleeve-don't think I didn't see that- and she can't even handle me staring at her. Elsa stares all the time for whole hours so if she can't handle my stare, she won't be able to handle my girl's stare."

"William, you are being over dramatic."

" _I don't like her_. So next!" The woman opened her mouth to defend herself but William shot her an instant glare and she nodded with a mumbled 'thank you' before disappearing through the door."None of these applicants are good enough! I should just say I'm sick and not show up tomorrow."

"You will not!" Aurora demanded as she leaned over towards him with a threatening expression."A child does not excuse you from your position as King! She should never be a reason you have to avoid your work with other kingdoms. You _will_ go to that meeting tomorrow or so help me, you and Elsa will be six feet underground where you can remain together for as long as you want! Do I make myself clear?" William nodded slowly as he tried to swallow over the lump in his throat.

"Y-Yes, Aurora." She backed away and he took a few moments to calm his nerves down. Aurora's volume however woke up Elsa, who had been sleeping peacefully in her stroller; William had planned to take her to the park after this whole ordeal but it had taken longer than expected so she was still there waiting. She turned her head in confusion before beginning to whimper out of fear for how she had been woken up. William felt his anxiety rise at the noise and he hurriedly turned to her with as many silly faces as he could think of."Don't worry sweetheart! Papa is right here!"

She alternated between hiccups, whimpers, and giggles as William tried to entertain her; she still wasn't completely happy yet though but William was running out of faces to make. Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the door."Pardon me," A voice echoed from the other side."May I enter Your Highnesses?"

Aurora glanced towards William who didn't respond to the voice and she rolled her eyes."Yes, you may enter." The door opened slowly as a middle-aged woman entered. Aurora did a bit of a double take when she saw the woman before rubbing her eyes; the lady looked oddly familiar but Aurora couldn't place her.

"I intended to wait outside but I thought I heard a child crying. I had figured I should try to enter to ensure everything was okay." The woman stepped closer and she tilted her head towards the stroller."May I offer assistance?"

"No!" William shouted as he protectively put himself over Elsa's stroller."I don't need any help to make her happy!" Aurora sighed and she grabbed William by his collar to pull him back."Hey, let me go! I can take care of her all by myself!"

"Yes, you may help." William continued trying to fight Aurora as the woman got closer to the stroller before eventually giving up; Aurora's grip was much stronger than his flailing.

The woman leaned forward slightly over the stroller and William tensed up instantly. She seemed to remain there for what seemed like forever for William before reaching forward."Don't touch her!" William's flailing increased as he tried to break free from Aurora whose grip didn't lessen for a second."You'll make her more upset…!" A flurry of giggles suddenly echoed out of Elsa's stroller and Willian froze. The giggles only increased from then on and he couldn't believe it. "Y-You made her laugh?"

The woman paused for a moment as she turned and nodded towards William."I have dealt with children in this state before as you will be able to see from my references." The woman took a moment to turn towards Elsa and make her laugh once more before stepping away and sitting down in the seat across from William and Aurora."I hope I wasn't too late to be interviewed for the position."

"No, you aren't…"Aurora began slowly as she took a moment to examine the women."By any chance, have we met before?"

Upon hearing this, William moved closer to Elsa's stroller in a protective manner. He didn't like to admit it but he didn't necessarily 'trust' Aurora's friends since they were usually harsh and strict.

"Yes we have, Your Highness." Aurora was a bit surprised but she knew this woman was very familiar; she just couldn't place the face."I had originally began to train as a governess here in the palace, under the tutelage of your former governess."

Aurora instantly recognized her after that statement, the familiarity finally clicking in her head."You're Camelot!" Of course Aurora remembered her; having been taught that a Queen needs to be observant of her surroundings at all times, Aurora always noticed her during her lessons. Most of the time, Camelot had stayed in the background and took notes; rarely, she would intervene in the lessons as a learning opportunity for herself."I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you!"

"Do not worry your Highness. You were quite young during my time here." Aurora nodded as she continued to think back to that before shaking the thought away to focus.

"Yes I was. Now, I believe you are here for the governess position?" It was an obvious question to ask but Aurora wanted to bring the conversation back to it; William had become distracted in trying to figure out what kind of 'magic' Camelot had used on Elsa to make her laugh. The second that Aurora mentioned the purpose of these meetings, he whipped around and narrowed his eyes towards Camelot.

"Yes, I have been interested in taking part in this position since I was a governess-in-training. After learning from your former governess, I went to continue my training elsewhere and I am confident in the idea that I will be a better fit for the ideals of this palace."

"And what exactly are you implying?" William hissed. He immediately thought about the way Aurora was raised and how that would tie in here; if Camelot had been trained to match that, then without a doubt, she would not be a good fit for his daughter.

"A gentle touch combined with a firm hand is a sound method. Rewards and treats where it is needed, punishments where it is deserved." At hearing the word 'punishments', William instantly shifted into a protective stance around Elsa's stroller; if Camelot was implying that she would lay a hand on his child, he would throw her out right now."Of course, I would not administer a punishment unless I had your permission." Camelot stated with a motion towards William who lessened his defenses slightly.

Aurora hid a smirk behind her hand, understanding Camelot's tactics; by now, Aurora was on board with hiring Camelot but she clearly saw that William was the uncertain one."That sounds wonderful. What do you think William?" He jumped slightly at hearing his name but he turned away instead; he refused to let his resolve fall apart.

"I still don't trust her. What if she uses violence on Elsa?"

"My past references show that I prefer a nonviolent approach to children."

"W-Well, you need to be more physically fit. Elsa loves to run around and-"

"During my school years, I was well known for receiving the highest achievements in track and field as well as cross country. I have a signature move under my belt for catching up to speedy children."

"W-W-Well, um, she's a very picky eater-"

"I have trained myself under many top chefs all over the galaxy."

"W-Well, she loves playing with-"

"Playing with toys can be an important stimulant for a child's mind. She will play with them often."

"During bedtim-"

" _William._ " Aurora said as she stopped herself from shouting."That's enough. I think Camelot has proven enough that she can very well be entrusted to take care of Elsa."

For a moment, William looked like a fish out of water, his lips moving but no words coming out; he stared at both of them, moving his head quickly to look at their faces before flailing his arms in an exasperated expression."Okay, _fine_!" He sat down, his cheeks reddening as he clenched his fists repeatedly on his lap; Aurora couldn't tell if he was embarrassed or frustrated but either way, she had won.

She proudly straightened herself with a smile towards Camelot."You're hired. I'm certain that-"

" _Wait_!" William exclaimed as he sat up, his cheeks having lost a bit of its redness. Aurora let out a sigh of frustration and annoyance before looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"I just said-"

"She is not officially hired." He stated before turning his attention to her."She will watch Elsa for _one_ day. After that day, I'll decide if she is a good fit for her."

Aurora placed a hand on her forehead but she knew that William wasn't planning to give up so easily. Why couldn't he be more compliant?"And when exactly will this happen?"

William paused for a moment, thinking about his next statement carefully; he would have loved to say 'he would think about the date' but he knew Aurora would instantly shoot that down. So, with a half-strained, half-smug smile, he proposed his idea."Tomorrow. I'll be at the Flame Kingdom and you'll still be here to ensure that Camelot is doing her job correctly. I mean, that's why we started this whole governess search in the first place right?"

Aurora was a bit surprised that William had offered up tomorrow, having expected him to say something else. But, with a slight hint of proudness for his proposal, she nodded."I'm okay with that if Camelot is."

Aurora didn't need to ask Camelot however; she had already turned to William and offered him a reassuring smile, combined with a curtsy as she stood up."Of course Your Highness. I would be happy to."

* * *

"When feeding her dessert, always ask her what she wants; Elsa likes to mix up her desserts sometimes so I prefer to give her a choice. And, don't give her too much either; the doctor said she is starting to become a little overweight so I'm trying to cut back on her sweets."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Oh, and when giving her a bath, always use the kitten wash cloth. The monkey one is only when she is sick and the dog is for her tantrum days. If you use the wrong one, she'll get confused and possibly bored. If that happens, watch her since she tries to wander."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Oh, and-"

"William, you need to leave."

"But I need to explain to her how to-"

"Watching a child for a single day is not complicated."

"That's because you don't even watch Elsa." William countered as he tried to fix his cape a bit; he knew he would inevitably lose this argument, per normal with Aurora."I'm going, alright?"

"Good." Aurora stated as she crossed her arms; she was waiting impatiently beside the balloon he was supposed to leave in."Hurry up because I need to get to work."

William stared at the balloon before looking back at Camelot, who was holding Elsa in her arms; his daughter had fallen asleep while he was getting dressed up and he didn't have the heart to wake her up to play before leaving. He walked towards them and he gently picked up Elsa who opened her eyes for a few moments before drifting back to sleep."Good bye El-Bell. Papa's coming back as soon as possible okay?"

He kissed her cheek softly before handing her back to Camelot with a longing expression. He anxiously began to walk away from them, heading towards his balloon; he paused to give a small wave to Aurora before entering the balloon.

As he steered the balloon away from the palace and towards the Flame Kingdom, William couldn't help turning back to glance at them. Aurora had already gone inside while Camelot lingered for a few moments; he noted a shift in her arms and he realized Elsa had likely woken up. He assumed he was right as Camelot lifted Elsa up for a few moments before walking inside with her. He turned back towards the direction he was heading before biting his lip; he would have loved to be the one holding Elsa right now.

* * *

"Elsa-sama, please do not cry." Camelot said as she tried once again to feed her another spoonful of her dinner. Elsa furiously turned her head away, screeching at the top of her lungs in protest."Your father said you loved to eat this!" Camelot put the spoonful back as she placed the bowl on the table; she once again pulled Elsa up from her seat and tried to calm her down.

"Papa, papa!" Elsa screamed as she slammed her hands onto Camelot's shoulder. Camelot tried to grasp Elsa's hands to stop her from acting this way but it only worsened Elsa's current state.

"I understand that you want your father, but you must eat." Camelot had been hoping that Elsa would be distracted with promises of food but it hasn't worked so far."Perhaps you would like a delicious sweet? Ice cream, pudding, cookies, cake…" As Camelot listed the different types of sweets, Elsa began to calm down slightly, as though she were considering Camelot's offer. Camelot took this as her chance to walk Elsa to the kitchen while she continued to list various sweets.

Upon arriving to the kitchen, Elsa stopped Camelot's listing with an exuberant shout for a cookie. Camelot smiled at having stopped Elsa's shouts and cries before giving her what she wanted. This pride at stopping Elsa's tantrum was short-lived however; after nibbling on the edge of the cookie, Elsa threw it on the floor and resumed her screams. Camelot was surprised that Elsa didn't even want sweets when King William said she loved them.

"Perhaps you would like some milk instead Elsa-sama?" In a bit of a panic, Camelot took a bottle of milk that William had placed in the kitchen before leaving. She had managed to remove the top when Elsa grasped her sleeve and pulled on it; Camelot lost her grip on the bottle, effectively spilling its contents on the floor, herself, and Elsa. Camelot took a few moments to stare at the mess as Elsa's cries intensified. She then looked at the upset princess in her arms and sighed.

"What am I going to do with you?"

* * *

 **"** **Let's see… Kitten for normal days-but she's having a tantrum now. Does that mean a tantrum day?" Camelot mumbled to herself as she examined the washcloths that were laid out in the bathroom.**

"Does day mean directly before baths or the whole day in general? She was fine until she woke from her nap… So, kitten then?" Camelot picked up the kitten washcloth but she looked at the others for a few more moments. She put the kitten back down and picked up the dog instead.

"Okay. Time for your bath Elsa-sa-" Camelot dropped the washcloth when she turned back; Elsa had thrown up, not just on the floor but all over her already messy clothes. Camelot picked her up hurriedly and stared at the mess with wide eyes."I guess it was the monkey instead…"

* * *

Camelot was glad that Elsa stopped putting up a fuss when she began to bathe her; she was already struggling to deal with the mess left on the floor so a tantrum would make things even harder. She just wished that she had noticed that Elsa was sick sooner to deal with it.

"All clean, Elsa-sama." Camelot said as she wrapped Elsa in a towel and lifted her up."Let's get you some fresh clothes to wear and medicine." At hearing the word 'medicine', Elsa's sniffles and whimpers returned; Camelot sighed as she brought Elsa back into her nursery. She was about to put Elsa in her crib but she thought better of it; what if Elsa began a tantrum again from being put there? Or she got sick again and dirtied the blankets? Camelot didn't know if she could handle another tantrum at the moment.

So, she chose instead to place Elsa on the nursery floor where she could at least play with all her toys. After waiting a few moments for Elsa to distract herself, Camelot left her where she was; she figured she could clean up the bathroom before Elsa could become fussy again. She didn't want to take the risk that William would come back and find the disaster left there.

* * *

Camelot sure was taking a long time-at least in Elsa's opinion. After a few moments of playing with a teddy bear, Elsa got bored and began to toddle around the nursery. The door to the bathroom was shut even when Elsa tried to put all her strength into pushing it open. When that didn't work, she returned to wandering around, picking up random toys and putting them back down again. Why did Camelot have to take so long?

Elsa at first began to whimper, thinking Camelot would hear it, but the door remained shut. And thus, Elsa began to head towards the nursery door where she began to slam her hands against it."Papa! Papa! Papa!" She chanted; it was usually the magic word to bring her father back when he wasn't there. But, despite her chants, he still didn't show up; that wasn't like him!

Elsa continued trying to push on the door but she was caught off guard when the door suddenly fell open. She landed on the floor but got up quickly; had her father opened the door? She glanced around slowly, not seeing him anywhere."Papa…?" She began to head down the hallway, her fears increasing as the hallways seemed to become darker."Papa…?"

* * *

Aurora was feeling quite proud of herself. She had gotten through more of her work than she did on a normal basis; that was definitely something to enjoy. Was it because she didn't have to listen to William and Elsa? That had to be why as she felt less stressed than normal.

Aurora took this moment to go reward herself; a small break wouldn't hurt for now. She stood up from her chair and exited her office, having decided to get a snack from the kitchen. As she walked, she began to hear odd noises down the hallways but she figured the maids or servants were talking.

She arrived at the kitchen and after debating with herself for a few moments, she decided that ice cream would be an appropriate and quick prize for herself. As she was scooping some for herself in a bowl, she jumped slightly when she heard a voice.

"Mama… Papa…" The voice sounded almost exactly like Elsa and it caused Aurora to turn around in confusion; she stopped herself from checking the hallway as she placed a hand to her head.

"Great, now I'm hearing things. I hope this isn't that 'maternal instinct' garbage William was talking about." She mumbled to herself as she tried to turn her attention to her dessert.

"Mama…! Papa…!" The sound was louder this time, as though it were nearing the kitchen. Aurora turned with a suspicious glance towards the doors; was she hallucinating this badly?"Mama! Papa!" Now, it sounded like it was directly outside the doors. Aurora stiffened, hoping that she wouldn't find Elsa on the other side. She stepped closer to the doors and after hesitating for a few moments, she pulled them open to find… that the hallway was empty. Aurora turned her head in both directions but she didn't see anything; there was no sign of Camelot nor Elsa.

"I really need a vacation from them…"

* * *

Camelot didn't think she had left Elsa alone for long; it had only taken a few minutes, perhaps ten at most, to clean up the bathroom. As it had been relatively fast, she decided to clean up her own clothing which, in Camelot's estimation, had only taken five. If she had barely taken any time in the bathroom, then how did she come back to find that Elsa was missing? And even worse, why was the door open?!

Camelot nearly tore up the nursery, hoping she would find Elsa behind one of the toys but as she found nothing, she realized that Elsa had to have left through the door. It was only her first day on the job and now it would be her last. But, Camelot wouldn't dare give up so early.

She left the nursery and began to search around for her, beginning at a slow pace before shifting into a frantic dash. Camelot had tried to avoid calling out for her but eventually, she knew she would have no choice. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted as loudly as she could."Elsa-sama!"

The few maids and servants who were still in the hallways by evening recalled seeing Camelot run like a madwoman in search of the princess. And they all remembered her shouts at the top of her lungs, having been nearly deafened by them."Elsa-sama! Elsa-sama! ELSA-SAMA!"

Camelot had her mind in the right place by searching for Elsa-if only she had looking straight ahead. Camelot was caught off guard in her rush when a door suddenly swung outward; she slammed against it and fell to the floor, along with a bowl that broke on the floor.

Aurora was glad that she didn't scream when Camelot hit the door but she was a bit ashamed of dropping her sweet treat. She turned towards the dazed governess and put her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes." _What_ is going on here?"

Camelot stood up slowly, having to support herself on the wall; when she looked into Aurora's face, her heart plummeted to her feet and she struggled to speak. By the time a coherent thought formed in her head, all Camelot could do was bow furiously in apology."Your Highness, I am so sorry!"

"There is no need to apologize so much. This mess is easy to clean up."

"No Your Highness, I…!" Camelot hung her head in shame before doing one more apologetic bow."I lost the princess."

Aurora paused for a moment, uncertain if she had heard Camelot correctly."You… You what?"

"It was an accident! I took my eyes off of her for a second!"

"You… lost her…" Aurora wasn't sure if she should celebrate being free of Elsa or if she should feel sorry for Camelot."I don't think you should worry so much…"

"Oh, what will the King think?! He already refused to have me in this position and now on my first day, I have lost your child! I don't deserve to be a governess!"

Aurora was about to comfort Camelot when she had a realization."William is going to throw a fit." She mumbled before her eyes widened. She grasped Camelot by her shoulders tightly."We _have_ to find Elsa. You _cannot_ get fired; not only was it a pain to convince him, but this is the first time I've been able to work peacefully since her birth!" Aurora also neglected to say that William would be right for once and she refused to admit to being wrong."We need to hurry! I don't know when he'll be back!" Camelot was a bit surprised by the determination in Aurora's eyes but it only inspired her.

"You're right Your Highness. She couldn't have gone too far."

* * *

Nothing could express William's happiness when the meeting ended; it had been going on for so long, William feared he would never get to leave. It would have ended sooner had Aiden and Cascade not entered a heated debate over a trivial matter that William had ignored the whole time. But finally, he was free to return home and more importantly, to his daughter.

He steered erratically through the sky, concerned more about arriving as soon as possible than his safety. The second the balloon landed beside the palace, William instantly ran out, nearly tripping over his cape in the process. He didn't mind however as all his worries would be lifted once he picked Elsa up and listened to her joyful chants."Papa! Papa!" William paused for a moment, having heard something that sounded like Elsa's voice. How was that possible? He was probably hearing things as Elsa was likely in her nursery, playing with her toys."Papa! Papa!"

William whipped around instantly, certain now that he had heard Elsa's voice except it sounded like she was crying. His heart began to ache in fear as he went after the noise, moving at a speed that only a terrified father could move. When he turned a few corners, he felt like someone had ripped his heart from his chest.

There his daughter was, curled up against the wall, with thick streams of tears running down her face. Her cheeks were a pallid red and her voice was becoming hoarse from her crying; he noticed instantly that she had what seemed to be vomit around her mouth and chest. William stood in shock for a few moments before dashing towards her, quickly pulling her up into his arms."My darling, my baby…!" He exclaimed as he wrapped her up in his cape while trying to wipe away her tears."It's okay, it's okay! Papa is right here!" Eventually, her tears began to subside but her grip on his clothes didn't lessen for a second."W-Who did this to-!"

William faced forward once he heard the sound of heels clicking along the floor in a hurried manner. Aurora and Camelot appeared together in front of him although they slowed to a stop when they saw him with Elsa in his arms. William shifted his head back and forth as he looked at them, examining their faces; Aurora, per normal, was difficult to read although Camelot had pure guilt written all over her face, which was enough for William.

This would be the first time that Aurora or anyone has seen William so furious. In the few seconds he stared at Camelot, he experienced a change, a transformation of sorts. His skin darkened to a deep shade of red, rivaling that of Aurora's hair; veins began to pulsate on the side of his head as he glared maliciously at Camelot, enough to make both women feel chills crawl up their spines. His whole body hunched over in a protective 'mother bear' stance while he seemed to multiply in size and strength, at least from the perspectives of Camelot and Aurora. In this state, William couldn't utter anything more than a single word." _You_."

* * *

 **Had the circumstances been different, this likely would have been Camelot's final day alive. Before either woman could notice, William lunged forward, his hand narrowly missing Camelot as he tried to grab at her. Luckily, Aurora had just enough time to do something; she shoved Camelot backwards and threw herself at William, effectively pushing him back for a few moments. William viciously tried to reach Camelot but he only had one free hand as his other held Elsa securely in his grasp."** ** _Let me at her!_** **"** **He screeched, his voice having lost any resemblance to a human.**

"It's not her fault!" Aurora shouted as she found herself being pushed by the insane strength William now had at his disposal.

" _She_ was the one who had to watch her so it's _her_ fault! Out of my way!" He began to pull Aurora to the side while she fought to stay in place."I should put her in the dungeon! Or have her thrown at some animals as food! Or-!"

"It's my fault that this happened!" William seemed to pause for a moment when Aurora said that, as though considering if it was true or not."I told her to go get something for me from another kingdom and that Elsa would be fine here alone! She _had_ to follow my orders or get fired!" Aurora knew it was a poorly made lie with holes that any idiot could see through; despite that, it seemed to have some effect on William who slowed himself down, although he continued to breathe heavily."Don't fire her. She didn't do anything wrong; I was being the stupid mother here so she shouldn't be blamed for my mistake!"

William stared at Aurora for a few moments before looking towards Camelot with an accusatory expression. Camelot gulped but after a side glance from Aurora, she nodded in agreement."I shouldn't have listened to the Queen. I apologize sincerely for letting her position as my employer distract me from the actual job I had to do. Please Your Highness, forgive me."

William stared at both of them with narrowed eyes, still considering if their story was true. He suddenly stopped looking at them when Elsa began to whimper in his arms again, instantly making him alert and attentive to her. He lifted her up a bit higher to place her head on his shoulder before shooting one more glare at Aurora and Camelot."Fine. You're lucky I have to take care of Elsa right now."

And with that, William walked around them, grumbling to himself about this whole mess as he headed for the nursery. The two women watched him go before Aurora sighed and placed a hand on Camelot's shoulder."I think it's best if you leave for the day."

Camelot nodded in response, unable to produce any other words at the moment. She and Aurora walked to the elevator in the palace and as they were waiting for it to come up, Camelot was finally able to find something to say."Thank you, Your Highness but… I should have been honest."

"That honesty would have gotten you fired. And if I'm ever going to have some peace of mind around here, I need you around."

"But, the King-"

"He'll get over it in a few days. He hardly ever gets upset with me so I wouldn't be surprised if he started bawling his eyes out tonight because of how he acted. Overall, don't worry." The elevator finally arrived and Camelot stepped in quietly, turning only to face Aurora; she pressed the down button and the doors began to close. Aurora looked at Camelot one last time and said what was on her mind."I'm glad you're here to help."

Camelot smiled as the doors officially shut."You're welcome, Aurora-sama."


	6. Chapter 6

I'm not dead, I swear. I just had a lot of school work and when I didn't have it, I procrastinated or had writer's block. XD

King Maverick: Maybe one day, when I improve my art skills, I can draw Aurora and William. xD

Finnian would have looked more like William, minus the eyes and the long hair.

The next chapter will show more about Aurora in terms of her parents although I hinted a bit at the relationship she has with them in this chapter. For how she ended up with William, I'll have a bonus chapter in the future about that. And William has the nickname "Rory" for Aurora but he only uses it in private and only when Aurora is feeling down on herself; it's too risky saying it otherwise when she can put him six feet underground.

The sweets thing is inherited as well as having a huge appetite. In the future, Elsa learns to manage her appetite but in reality, she can eat as much as Fine, possibly more.

Omendo is working in the palace as I headcanon that he's been there for a while, going straight into working as opposed to Camelot taking time for apprenticeships. As for Camelot, she was mainly unlucky. She didn't expect Elsa to get sick and Elsa is extremely attached to William so she became harder to manage without William there. Plus, Camelot wasn't very familiar with the layout of the palace so she was going in circles most of the time but didn't notice. XD

I'll have bonus chapters in the future to showcase more things, like AU moments or expand on backstories or other things.

* * *

"Do they _ever_ stop?" Aurora asked as she narrowed her eyes in the direction of William and Crescent; the two Kings were exuberantly talking about their respective daughters, gushing over anything that had happened in the past few days."Honestly, I hear enough of this at home but now there are two idiots talking together."

"I wouldn't call them idiots. Just happy fathers." Luminous stated as she sipped her cup of tea slowly."Although I will admit that it is starting to get a little annoying. Crescent woke me up last night because Malia giggled in her sleep and he wanted me to see it." Although she had been frustrated at the time, Luminous couldn't help thinking about it fondly; Crescent had been ecstatic when he passed by the nursery and heard a gentle laugh, prompting him to instantly run inside to listen."I would rather have them happy than to have them be one of _those_ fathers that doesn't care."

"I wouldn't mind if William was like that." Aurora said in annoyance as she continued to drink her tea; it wasn't necessarily her favorite but Luminous and Crescent had invited them and she couldn't just say no."Honestly, it feels like he cares too much sometim-"

A vibrant cry echoed throughout the garden, prompting Aurora and Luminous to turn their heads in surprise. William and Crescent disappeared into the garden in a hurry, their footsteps echoing as they moved. Luminous stood up and forced Aurora to stand with her as they went to find out what happened. By the time the two queens arrived, the situation seemed to have escalated even though it only took them a few minutes.

"What did _she_ do?!"

"What in Graces are you talking about?! Clearly _she_ did something and not _my_ daughter!"

William and Crescent pointed accusatory fingers towards the child opposite of their own. Malia was grasping onto Crescent tightly with a mixture of whimpers and sobs as her father tried to comfort her. Elsa was instead hiding behind William, holding onto his leg as she tried to avoid being stared at. Luminous hurried over to her husband and she gently placed a hand on his arm; Aurora was a bit slower in arriving to William but she still did the same thing to ease his anger.

"What happened?" Luminous asked as she tried to figure it out from observations alone. She didn't get the chance to piece anything together as Crescent turned to her with a look of surprise before furiously motioning to Malia.

"Do you not see what that little _monster_ did to our daughter?!" Luminous slowly kneeled down to Malia's level and she tried to see what Crescent was talking about; Malia had a scrape going along her cheek and others on the palms of her hands."She shoved her and now she's hurt!"

"That is not what happened!" William declared as he gave Crescent a challenging look."My daughter does not push anyone! But I bet your daughter does! Just look at my Elsa!" He pulled her forward to show off the small cuts on Elsa's knees and a bruise that was beginning to form on the side of her face."Explain to me how my El-Bell is going to get hurt like this if she supposedly pushed her?"

"If she really didn't do anything wrong, then how come she's not crying?! Explain that!"

"Because unlike your spoiled daughter, Elsa knows how to be tough when she gets hurt!"

"Oh, are you insulting my daughter now when your daughter started screaming in the middle of a meeting because you didn't give her a snack?!"

"She has a big appetite for a growing girl! You're the one spoiling _your_ child!"

William and Crescent continued in their passionate argument, continuously pointing out the flaws in each other. Luminous felt nervous in this situation and so she pulled her daughter into her arms; Malia was clearly disturbed by her father's anger and she ducked her head down. Elsa tried to get close to Aurora for a similar comfort but Aurora made a point of stepping away whenever Elsa tried to touch her. Eventually, Aurora became annoyed at the fury of the Kings and she snapped to get their attention.

"You two are acting like children over something idiotic! Honestly, just settle it already!"

William and Crescent paused for Aurora's statement before directing their attention back to each other. Crescent narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms."Fine then. We'll settle it." Crescent pointed up towards the sky, in the general direction of the Sunny Kingdom."I never want to see _any_ of you here until I get an apology for what he said about _my_ daughter."

William stiffened at that statement before turning away and picking Elsa up as she was getting restless at his feet."Fine by me. I wouldn't want my daughter anywhere near here anyways! And don't expect that you can come to the Sunny Kingdom either until you apologize!"

"That's okay by me!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Crescent and William parted ways with Crescent dragging Luminous back inside the palace despite her protests and William doing the same by bringing Aurora to their balloon. Aurora and Luminous looked at each other with confused expressions but there was nothing they could say at the moment. They simply followed their husbands for now.

* * *

"Are we going to talk about it now?"

"No. There's nothing to talk about." Aurora rolled her eyes at William's statement; she could see the flustered blush creeping onto his cheeks as he focused on combing Elsa's wet hair in the bathtub."He started it so it's his fault."

"Uh huh." Aurora stated as she leaned against the wall, waiting patiently for him."When you're ready to talk, let me know."

"There's nothing to talk about!" He shouted as he whipped around to face Aurora, his face expressing a fury that didn't faze Aurora in the slightest. He instantly felt bad about it though and he meekly looked down at the floor."S-Sorry… I didn't mean to shout…" He solemnly turned back to Elsa, who was waiting with wide eyes in the water; he gently pulled her out and began to dry her off, mumbling slightly to himself in a way that Aurora couldn't understand.

When he finished, he placed his daughter on his shoulder and he slipped past Aurora into their bedroom, where he tried to do other things to distract himself. As he was dressing Elsa in her pajamas, he paused and turned towards Aurora, his eyes expressing a bit of hurt."I… I didn't do anything wrong, d-did I?"

Aurora didn't answer his question and instead, continued waiting against the wall. William bit his lip but he went back to getting his daughter ready for bed before picking her up and taking her back to her room. She watched him go and she sat on the bed, knowing he would come back in a minute. When he did return, his face was a mixture of frustration and confusion. He sat beside her on the edge of the bed, silently folding and unfolding his pajama sleeves. Finally, he turned towards Aurora, a frown on his face.

"I did the wrong thing, didn't I?"

"Yes." Aurora stated, as she crossed her arms."Blowing up at Crescent like that wasn't the right thing to do."

"But he accused Elsa!"

"And how do you know she didn't do what he said?"

"B-Because she wouldn't do that! I...I know she's spoiled but she wouldn't do that to someone. Why does no one believe me when I say that?" William tucked his hands under his arms, his cheeks reddening with the desire to get upset. He knew why Aurora didn't believe him-she rarely believed that Elsa did anything good-but Crescent didn't believe him at all when Elsa clearly had her own share of injuries."It's not like Malia was the only one who was hurt…"

"You still shouldn't have caused such a big deal when we were invited to their kingdom."

"But I have to defend my daughter!"

"Defend her for doing something _wrong_?"

"She didn't do anything wrong!"

"Sure she didn't."

This time, William did let out a frustrated growl except he chose to stop the conversation there. He angrily climbed under his covers and refused to even give Aurora his normal good night kiss."I'll show you that she didn't do it! Just you wait!"

He shut his eyes to go to sleep with Aurora slipping into bed beside him. A few moments passed and he quickly shifted under the blankets and kissed Aurora's cheek.

"Just one kiss even though I'm not happy."

"You mean even though you're wrong."

* * *

"So… you called me over to the palace… to do what exactly?" Emmaline asked as she glanced around the odd setup William had put together in the Sunny Kingdom garden. It wasn't perfect but it was meant to replicate the 'crime scene' at the Moon Kingdom, without needing to actually go there. Just because he had set all this up didn't mean that Emmaline actually understood what he even wanted of her.

"No one believes me when I say that Elsa didn't push Malia so I'm going to prove that she didn't! Sort of like an experiment. A reenactment. Get it?" Emmaline nodded slowly, still not fully comprehending the scenario but wanting to go along with it anyways for the sake of William's sanity."Good! Now, I'll be Elsa and you'll be Malia, okay?"

"Why are you Elsa and I'm Malia?"

"Well, you and I are around the same height and weight but I'm a little heavier than you, like Elsa is compared to Malia. So this is the most similar!"

"Why do I have to be her though? I don't know if I can play that role."

"You aren't acting! Just pretending to be her for now."

"Do I have lines and a script?"

"No you don't-Emmy, will you just take this seriously please?!"

"Fine, fine. I was just trying to lighten the mood." Emmaline said as she raised her hands in surrender."Where should I stand, Your Highness?" She said mockingly but William chose to ignore her and shift her around to where he wanted her to remain.

"Okay, okay." He mumbled to himself, thinking for a moment."So, when we found both girls, Malia was standing exactly where you are… Elsa was across from her but then how did Malia get the scrapes where they were?" He made a few pushing motions towards Emmaline, expecting her to act it out. She groaned and clumsily pretended to fall onto the floor, trying to avoid ruining her dress."It doesn't make too much sense… Emmy, get up and do it again."

"Ugh…"

* * *

 **"** ** _If you're busy now, I can call again later…_** **"**

"No Luminous, I'm fine. William is just being… distracting." Aurora watched him as he interacted with Emmaline, making her fall down multiple times and stand up once more."He's still insistent on this whole pushing thing."

" _Ah, I see. Crescent hasn't forgotten either. He keeps mumbling to himself about it and when I ask him, he goes on a rant._ "

Aurora sighed as she watched William force Emmy onto the floor again, even though she looked tired at this point. She sat back down at her desk with the holo-screen and she rubbed her temples to ease her headache."Things would be far easier if William would just accept it already."

" _Accept what?_ "

"That Elsa was the one who pushed Malia. It's as clear as day to me that she did it."

" _Really…?_ "

"Yes, can't you see it?"

" _I mean… sort of… It just seems a bit strange to me how Malia fell. She would have had to fall forward to hurt herself like that and-_ "

"Are you suggesting that your daughter pushed Elsa?"

" _It isn't exactly a crazy thought…_ "

"You're right. It is utterly ridiculous! Malia is a well behaved girl and Elsa is far from that.

" _I-I wouldn't say your daughter is as poorly mannered as you claim! She has her moments but Elsa is actually very sweet and polite. I have a hard time believing that she would push Malia…_ "

"And your daughter would?"

" _Well… Malia has been getting a bit more rowdy lately but Crescent hasn't noticed… so it is possible…_ "

"I highly doubt that she would go as far as to push Elsa however; she is smaller and thinner than Elsa so how would she even have the strength?"

" _It's not impossible… you know, nevermind… you won't believe me anyways._ "

"Like any other sensible person, I do not believe in things that are so ridiculous."Aurora began, glancing towards the window with a sigh."Unlike William unfortunately. Anyways, we were going to go over-"

" _Actually, I'm not feeling very well at the moment. I apologize Aurora as I will have to leave for now… I'll call you again later._ " Aurora was a bit confused as Luminous had sounded perfectly fine earlier but she realized moments after as to why; she likely didn't think Elsa had done it, despite the fact that it was rather obvious to Aurora.

"That is fine. We can discuss this later." She stated calmly, before ending the call without waiting for Luminous to say anything else. Aurora pulled together her documents, deciding she would focus on her work; this whole William/Crescent situation was something she couldn't resolve but then again, she didn't have to. It was their mistake after all and now they would learn from it, whether they wanted to or not.

* * *

 **"** **Okay Emmy, one more time…" William said as he readied himself to push her again. Emmaline groaned, having fallen so many times she had lost count; her dress was tattered and dirty and she was beginning to form scrapes and bruises along her arms. By now, evening was creeping upon them and Emmaline just wanted to go home."Please? Just one more? I'll take you home after, I promise."**

"Fine. But I expect a treat afterwards along with the ride." Emmaline said bitterly as she readied herself to get pushed again. William pulled back and shoved Emmaline onto the floor; she slid slightly along the ground and got up with a wince."Are we done now?"

William didn't answer as he was lost in thought. Emmaline looked towards him with a tired expression as she hobbled over. Just as she reached him, William cried out with a mixture of surprise and euphoria. He gripped Emmaline's shoulders tightly with a wide smile on his face."I've figured it out! I've done it!"

"You figured out-" Emmaline didn't get to finish as William suddenly took off, rushing straight towards the balloons. She groaned at his speed before attempting to limp after him."Slow down! You're taking me home!"

* * *

When she no longer heard the sounds of Emmaline hitting the floor, or William's repeated 'Let's do it again', Aurora became curious as to what was happening. Had he finally given up and accepted that Elsa had done it? Had he gotten tired and decided to go to bed? Or was he continuing but in a more silent manner? When Aurora peeked outside to see what was going on, she was partially surprised that William was no longer there but she became worried when she saw him running towards the elevator. Had he given up, he wouldn't be running so why was he doing it now…?

Aurora left the window and took a moment to neatly stack her documents before exiting her office, in search of where her husband had gone. As she walked down the halls, she glanced out the window for a second and noticed one of the balloons floating upwards; she was certain that they had all been secured so why would it…

For a moment, Aurora put two and two together; her suspicions were confirmed when the balloon began to head in the direction of the Moon Kingdom at a fast pace. In mere seconds, she raced down the halls and to the balloons. William had already ruined enough between the kingdoms; she wasn't going to let him cause more damage.

* * *

It didn't take long for William to arrive at the Moon Kingdom; he technically crashed beside the palace but that was a minor detail to him. Despite the balloon being lopsided on the ground, he still hopped out quickly and took off inside. Emmaline, who was in the balloon and was _supposed_ to be dropped off, only managed to crawl out. She saw the direction William had gone but had given up on going after him.

She put herself facing up towards the sky, deciding that sleeping the pain off on the ground would be helpful; she saw the other Sunny Kingdom balloon that began heading in her direction and she knew that it had to be Aurora following along.

When the balloon landed beside the crashed one, Emmaline could see Aurora rushing out; she paused momentarily, glancing towards Emmaline on the floor before continuing inside the palace. Emmaline watched her hurry indoors and she weakly smiled, knowing this could end badly for William. It was a bit of well deserved karma for leaving her here instead of at home.

* * *

The servants and maids were nervous. They had been given very specific instructions from King Crescent to direct any Sunny Kingdom royals away from the palace; if they tried to fight, the other option was to call the guards on them and forcefully kick them out. But despite their begging and attempts to send him out, William continued on his merry way through the palace, stopping only to ask where Crescent was; the servants refused at first but he was persistent and they had no choice but to say that the King was in the nursery.

William thanked them with a smug look and proudly went off in that direction. The servants figured they would lose their jobs and decided that if any others walked through the doors, they would send them out. One look at Aurora's expression of fury sucked the bravery from them and they could only point to the direction William had gone.

Aurora wasn't able to reach William in time however as he was already in the nursery when she finally arrived. She entered the room to see that William was practically giving a speech to Crescent, who was standing still with Malia in his arms, his brows furrowed, yet he didn't say anything.

"And furthermore, this proves that your monster of a child-"

"William!" He froze instantly, his body tensing up. He didn't dare turn around; he would rather keep his back turned to his death. Aurora came forward and she grasped him by his collar, pulling him back forcefully; William didn't protest as she was certainly stronger and taller than him. Besides, he figured it wouldn't end well for him. Aurora held him back and she gave an apologetic look towards Crescent."I apologize for him." She then roughly pulled William's collar with a glare, as a sign that he should apologize.

William stared at the floor, his cheeks red; he knew he was right but it wasn't fair that Aurora was making him say sorry anyways."I'm sorry…"

"No, don't be." Crescent said, with a shake of his head. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head before sighing."I was wrong anyways…"

"What?" Aurora and William said together, both caught off guard for a moment.

"I was wrong… Lumi sat down with me and Malia and we talked for a bit… turns out Malia did push Elsa. Lumi said Malia told her after all."

"And if she's lying to you?" Aurora asked with a bitter expression. Luminous had to be lying to end the feud instead of trying to confirm the truth.

"She would never do that." Crescent said with a surprised expression."I know her well enough to know she wouldn't do that. So Malia must have told her."

"B-But-"

"I _told_ you that Elsa didn't do it!" William said, jumping up with a happy expression."But no one wanted to believe me! I told you all, I told you!"

"Yes, you did…" Crescent said sadly before smiling and loosening one of his hands, putting it out towards William."I'm sorry for all the things I said. And for banning you from the kingdom."

William stared at the outstretched hand before eagerly accepting it with his own, a wide grin on his face."No hard feelings! Besides, I was wrong for the things I said too. I shouldn't have called your daughter a monster nor should I have banned you from the Sunny Kingdom either. It was wrong of me to do."

"I guess we're both at fault here." Crescent said with an awkward laugh before returning the smile that William had given him."I'm glad we're friends again. And next time, I say we keep a better eye on our girls so this won't happen again."

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

* * *

"Come on, just say it."

"No."

"Please Aurora? Just once?"

"No William, I am not saying it."

"But this rarely happens! Let me enjoy it!"

"I'm not saying those words to a man with bubbles all over his face."

William had a wide grin on his face as he looked towards Aurora, his eyes shining despite the mass of bubbles clustered on his cheeks from the bubble bath; Elsa was silently playing on his knee, with a rubber duck he had given her."You're just trying to find excuses to not say it."

"There's nothing to say!" Aurora hissed, as she furiously splashed water on her face.

"How about 'Wow, William, you were right! Gosh darn, I wish I had listened to you!'"

"First of all, I would never say 'gosh darn'. Second of all, I will not say it. You don't need to rub it in my face!"

"You always do it to me so I have a right to do it once." William said with a cheeky grin."Let me cherish this moment." He stood up from the bathtub, wiping the bubbles from his face as he lifted Elsa into his arms."I should document it. Maybe get it engraved." He strutted by Aurora, shooting a smirk her way while she glared at his back. He entered their bedroom, where he happily dried off and dressed Elsa in pajamas.

"Do any of those things and the only thing you'll be documenting will be our divorce papers." Aurora said in a dark tone as she sat down in front of her mirror to brush her hair before bed.

"You'd never divorce me." William said in a teasing voice before pausing."Shoot, I forgot her nightcap is in the washer. Watch her for me while I go get it?" He asked with pleading eyes. Aurora refused to answer him, instead giving a dismissive wave of her hand. William placed Elsa on the floor-worried about her falling off the bed- and he left to retrieve what he forgot.

Aurora continued on brushing her hair silently, still fuming from William's comments."He's right once in his life and he needs to act like a jerk because of it." She hissed sharply beneath her breath."I should just-"

"Mama?" Aurora groaned before glancing to the side. Elsa was beside her, her small hands gripping onto the edge of the seat as she looked up at Aurora with big ruby eyes. How Aurora despised looking into those eyes.

"What do you want?" Aurora said harshly before smacking Elsa's hands lightly with her hairbrush."I told you not to touch my seat."

Her daughter pulled her hands behind her back, her gaze turned to the floor. She swayed gently from side to side and Aurora was already getting tired of her being so close."I sorry Mama…"

"You say that every time I push you away from the seat yet you always do it. So don't say something you don't mean. Do it again and I'll smack your hands harder." Aurora couldn't actually do that, considering the fit William would have if she did, but she let the threat linger.

"No… I sorry Mama…" Elsa repeated as she glanced up slightly while running her foot along the soft floor."I did bad…"

"You always do so not a surprise."

"I push."

"What?"

"I push." As if to emphasize the point, Elsa made the motion with her hands in front of Aurora."Mali mean." She said, turning her stare back down. It took Aurora a moment to click together what Elsa was saying.

"You pushed Malia?"

"Uh huh."

"She didn't push you first?"

"Uh uh."

Aurora was admittedly a bit shocked for a moment. She began to piece together the different things that didn't add up. Luminous has probably told Malia to say she did it to end the feud. The scrapes on Elsa's knees and the bruise were likely because Malia had tried to pull her down. This all meant that… Aurora was right. For a moment, a rush of euphoria filled her up along with a desire to march up to William and rub it in his face. She could see it now: his smile sliding off his lips, his laughter quelled by his sudden guilt, his panicked calls to the Moon Kingdom in apology, and finally, his admittance that Aurora was right and he was wrong. She smiled wide for a moment, already excited.

"Mama mad?" Aurora flinched slightly, having forgotten that Elsa was beside her. She turned towards her and smiled for once, ruffling her daughter's hair; Elsa jumped at the touch as Aurora had never done it before.

"No, Mama not mad. Mama happy, super happy."

"Papa mad?"

"Oh, Papa won't be mad."

"Papa sad?"

"Well probably." Elsa's already large eyes widened in response, a panicked look crossing her face.

"P-Papa cry?"

"Maybe." Aurora rubbed her hands together in delight for a moment before glancing back towards Elsa. Her daughter's lip was quivering and tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

"N-No Papa sad… N-No Papa cry!"

"Well, it's going to happen so too bad."

"N-No!" Elsa gripped Aurora's nightgown tightly, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks."Please… Papa no cry…" She begged weakly as she pressed her face into the fabric. Aurora instantly tried to push her away but Elsa had a tight grip.

"Come on, let me enjoy this! After he was being so smug earlier!"

"Please Mama!"

"Let go!"

"Mama!" Aurora raised her hand for a moment, wanting to swing down hard onto Elsa to get her to let go. Elsa looked up at her mother again, her eyes full of tears with her nose running. And in that second, she looked familiar to Aurora. Or the expression at least.

" _I-I didn't mean to Aurora… honest, I didn't!" William trembled as he pressed his sleeves to his eyes."Don't hate me please!"_

" _It's just a flower vase William…" She didn't bring up the importance of it. How it wasn't just a vase but it was her mother's vase. Aurora would no doubt be in trouble for it later and she could already envision the marks she would have to show for it."It's fine… really, it is."_

" _N-No it's not! I-I'm supposed to do things to make you safer, n-not put you in danger! I don't want your parents to be mad at you for something I did!" He pulled his arms away from his eyes and she could see the thick streams of tears running down his cheeks, his nose accompanying it."I don't want them to hurt you!"_

Aurora lowered her hand for a moment, placing it on her knee. She could feel her daughter trembling against her and she placed her hand on her head, gently running her hand through the short red curls. She pictured William, curled at her side, sobbing about how he had gotten her in trouble or ruined her life somehow.

She despised seeing him cry but he did it anyways, making her think for a moment that he was doing it on purpose. The second a tear ran down his cheek, she wanted to scream at him or call him names but that didn't stop him. And she would do anything to make him stop. She imagined again how he would react to hearing that Elsa was at fault and it began to worry her. She didn't want to see him in tears. "Okay. We won't tell Papa. You can stop crying. We won't tell him."

Elsa hiccuped as she looked up towards Aurora. Her lip still quivered and her cheeks were stained with her tears. Aurora took a handkerchief from one of the drawers in her dresser and she wiped her daughter's face gently."P-Papa no sad?"

"No. Papa no sad." Aurora whispered softly as she cleaned her up."Papa happy, very happy. We just can't tell him this, okay? It's a special secret." Aurora placed the handkerchief on the dresser again and she turned towards Elsa once more. She held out her pinkie before taking her daughter's hand and wrapping it around hers as well."Look, it's a pinkie promise. And you can't break a pinkie promise okay?" Aurora felt a bit stupid saying that but it just brought back memories of William insisting on it. And she liked those memories.

"Okay!" Elsa said happily, her cries from earlier forgotten in exchange for the bright smile she sent Aurora's way. Of course, Aurora expected the promise to be broken rather soon, still not trusting Elsa at all. She likely wouldn't even remember it later on.

As Aurora was about to speak, the door to the bedroom opened again and William entered with a slight frown."Can you believe it still had a stain on it? I had to put it to wash again!" Aurora pulled away from Elsa quickly and she shoved her forward a bit. William took one look at his daughter and was quick to pick her up."Aurora, why was she crying?!"

"She was playing with the dresser and pinched a finger by accident."

"You were supposed to watch her!"

"Oops." Aurora said with a shrug as she put away her brush. She would rather pretend to be nonchalant about the whole thing than to admit what really happened."You asked a tired woman to watch that little beast. What did you expect?"

"I-I told you not to call her that!" William said with a pout as he covered Elsa's ears, even though she had heard that already before. He shifted her higher in his arms and left to place her in the nursery. He returned a while later to Aurora already in bed and he quietly slipped in beside her."You should really be nicer to her."

"Don't see a reason why."

"One day, she's going to be an adult. With her own family."

"I am aware of that unfortunate fact."

"And you know the stories she's going to tell her kids? How her Mama let her pinch her fingers in the dresser and then called her names."

"I'm looking forward to those stories."

Aurora could hear William's angry huff from her answer and he turned over in bed."You don't understand! Good night!" He pulled the blankets over his head and Aurora couldn't help laughing to herself when he did it. She turned over, placing a hand on where his head should be, thinking to herself.' _Something tells me that she'll have a different story to tell about tonight._ '


End file.
